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Complex, multi-layered health care systems can sometimes stray from patient safety considerations. Thus, International Patient Safety Day, observed on September 17, reminds us that patient safety is up to all of us. All relevant stakeholders in our health care process —patients, doctors, administrators — need to work together to ensure the safe delivery of health care.

Prepare yourself — because September 16 is Get Ready Day. Established in 2006 by the American Public Health Association (APHA), the goal of Get Ready Day is to arm individuals, families, and communities with knowledge that will help them cope with crises such as natural disasters, infectious diseases, and pandemic illnesses. 

September 13 has been dubbed “National Celiac Disease Awareness Day” in honor of the doctor who identified a link between celiac disease and diet. Dr. Samuel Gee, a leader in celiac disease research, was born on Sept. 13, 1839.

National School Backpack Awareness Day on September 15, strives to make sure students wear backpacks safely. Improper use can lead to back pain or injury, which can impact learning. On this day, teachers, students, and parents come together to make sure families are aware of the risks — and that backpacks are being worn properly. It’s for the children.

One in every 100 deaths worldwide is the result of suicide. It can affect every one of us. Each and every suicide is devastating and has a profound impact on those around them. However, by raising awareness, reducing the stigma around suicide and encouraging well-informed action, we can reduce instances of suicide around the world. World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of suicide and to promote action through proven means that will reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts globally.

Each year, the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) celebrates World Sexual Health Day on September 4th. This year’s theme is “Turn it on: Sexual health in a digital world”, which inspires the need to awaken awareness of sexual health rights, while also recognizing the harms and violations of sexual rights in the digital sphere.

International Overdose Awareness Day is held each year on August 31st to remember those who have been lost to fatal drug overdose, celebrate those who have been rescued from or assisted in rescuing someone from an overdose, and most especially help reduce the stigma of overdose and drug use.

Today is National Grief Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the myriad ways in which individuals cope with loss. It offers resources to those going through personal losses and reminds us to support people we know who are grieving.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1st to the 7th to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF, and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Since 2016, WBW is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Today is World Lung Cancer Day, providing an opportunity to raise awareness about the risk factors and patients’ outcomes of this deadly and debilitating disease and review the prevention measures and treatment options that help reduce the global burden. And since severe respiratory symptoms mark Covid-19, lung cancer is an aggravating factor for the virus.