SAMHSA Sets National Prevention Week for May 14-20, 2017
National Prevention Week (#NPW2017) is an annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of mental and/or substance use disorders. The 2017 theme is Making Each Day Count.
SAMHSA has set the dates for next year's National Prevention Week (#NPW2017): May14-20. The week is an annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of mental and/or substance use disorders. The 2017 theme is Making Each Day Count.
Communities and organizations nationwide use the week to stress the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health. There are three primary goals of National Prevention Week:
- To involve communities in raising awareness of behavioral health issues and in implementing prevention strategies
- To foster partnerships and collaboration with federal agencies and national organizations dedicated to behavioral and public health
- To promote and disseminate quality behavioral health resources and publications
The week is held each year during the third week of May, and it is timed to allow schools to take part in a prevention-themed event before the school year ends, in order to raise awareness among students of all ages. According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the percentages of marijuana, cigarette, and alcohol initiates among youths increase between spring (April and May) and summer (June and July), and the timing of National Prevention Week helps to educate young people and their families at that time of year.