Why you should be promoting national eye health observation holidays
Julie Gough-Nelson gives her advice on celebrating national health observances in your practice.
Editor’s Note:
National left-handers day and hot dog appreciation day, do you know when these are recognized? A quick Internet search and you’ll have a plethora of webpages at your fingertips devoted to the recognition of health, lifestyle, and even food observances.
Julie Gough-NelsonWith such readily available lists, it’s worth stepping back and taking a look at what you are doing in your practice to leverage health observances in your strategic marketing plan:
1. Where can I find help?
There are many different avenues for obtaining listings of health observances. Health care companies (for-profit and nonprofit), insurance companies, government agencies, and blogs often make listings or calendars available on their websites. Check out
For a more detailed look at implementing a health observance in your practice check out the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website, healthfinder.gov, where you can access the
Within this guide, HHS draws attention to the fact that National Health Observances or (NHO’s), “present an opportunity to educate the public, energize co-workers and community members, and promote healthy behaviors.” This approach points to the multi-faceted nature of promoting NHO’s. It is not enough to simply promote to your patients or potential patients, but you must also look for opportunities to get buy-in from all staff, while looking for ways to engage and partner with community organizations with common goals.
For more eye-specific health observances, the American Academy of Ophthalmology provides its’ own of