November is National Home Care Month, a time to celebrate the practice of home care and all of the individuals who make it possible, from the patients who inspire us to the caregivers who serve them.During the month of November, the home care and hospice community honors the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients and families they serve. These heroic caregivers play a central role in our health care system and in homes across the nation.

Thanksgiving Day is not only a time to gather with friends and family to eat a sumptuous meal and count blessings. It’s also happened to be National Family Health History Day today. The idea is to take a day when everyone in your family is assembled and discuss the family health history, specifically any occurrence of colorectal cancer. Healthcare providers encourage you to use this day to share and care about this and other serious diseases.

GERD Awareness Week is November 23-29, it was first established by the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD)  in November 1999. This event is noted on the United States National Health Observances Calendar as the timing of GERD Awareness week coincides with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, which is an accepted moment of overindulgence and dietary indiscretion for much of the public.

Celebrated every November, National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM) is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. It offers an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers.

Cancer is a dangerous disease that develops almost anywhere in the body as a result of unregulated and abnormal cellular growth. According to the American Cancer Society, over 26,000 new cases of cancer develop each year. Gastric cancer, commonly known as stomach cancer, accounts for around 1.5 percent of all cancer cases identified in the United States. Although Stomach cancer is currently on the decline in the U.S. still remains as one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the world.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy. It takes time. And a plan. You don’t have to stop smoking in one day. Start with day one. Let the Great American Smokeout every third Thursday in November be your day to start your journey toward a smoke-free life. You’ll be joining thousands of people who smoke across the country in taking an important step toward a healthier life and reducing your cancer risk.

National Rural Health Day (NRHD) is an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural” by honoring the selfless, community-minded spirit that prevails in rural America. NRHD showcases the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health, and other rural stakeholders to address the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face today and in the future.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, a chance for the pancreatic cancer community to come together to raise vital funds and awareness, remember loved ones who have sadly died of pancreatic cancer, and acknowledge those living with or beyond the disease.

Today is National Diabetes Heart Connection Day, a day to recognize the connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes affects 29 million - one in 11 - people in the US and at least double their risk of heart failure, heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular complications. Less than half of them, however, are aware that they are at a much higher risk for cardiovascular disease complications.

The Urology Care Foundation and the American Urological Association (AUA), together with the Bladder Health Alliance — a coalition of groups representing physicians, patients, and veterans — are drawing on the month of November as a vital reminder to get the facts about common bladder health problems and to encourage the public to take an active role in managing their bladder health.