Today is World Health Day, and the theme this year is “My health, my right.” According to the World Health Organization, the theme is supposed to focus on the barriers to public health access that many people around the world face. The World Health Organization stated, “This year’s theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.” So here’s how you can participate this year and pass this knowledge on to your community.

Volunteer

There are tons of letter writing campaigns you can join for public health issues. Text banking can be great for older adults, too, because the instructions are very simple and you can do it from anywhere. Just search for public health campaigns or organizations in your area. There are plenty of causes you can find that fit the theme, from clean air to healthcare access. There are so many ways to get involved right from your house. I’ve text banked from my couch!

Educate Yourself

With the internet at our fingertips, it is easier than ever to look for information on the public health challenges of today and tomorrow. I made it easy for you by linking the WHO’s page at the beginning of this post. Stick with reliable sources, if you want to see a post on media literacy, leave a comment down below. Anyways, you can learn more through trusted news sources and professional medical and public health organizations. If you do not know whether or not to trust a source, you can try looking that source up to see what their history is.

Thank you for reading this, and have a great weekend! I will see you next week on this page!

Written by Brigid Stakelum