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NAHM, Week 4: Advancing adolescent health equity and increasing collaboration and coordination across systems

Published May 2024

National Adolescent Health Month May 2023

Eliminate disparities to advance health equity and increase collaboration and coordination across systems

Each May, the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) celebrates National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™). This annual observance emphasizes the importance of building on young people’s strengths and potential, encouraging meaningfulNAHM Week 4 youth engagement in adolescent health activities, and highlighting key topics in adolescent health.

In this final week, learn more about eliminating health disparities to advance health equity and increasing collaboration and coordination across systems.

Adolescents have multiple and diverse needs and require different supports to be healthy. By reducing the burden of disease, injury, and violence, we allow adolescents to reach their fullest potential. Many young people experience health disparities that disproportionately affect their communities due to the systems and environments where they are born, grow, live, work, play, worship, and age. These social determinants of health include: 

  • Economic stability, 
  • Education access and quality, 
  • Health care access and quality, 
  • Neighborhood and built environment, and 
  • Social and community context. 

We can promote health and well-being for all adolescents by addressing social drivers and meeting their diverse needs. It is also critical to increase coordination and collaboration within and across the systems serving young people. These systems can include pediatric settings, social service programs, and the child welfare system. Collaboration and coordination across settings and systems can maximize resources, reduce duplication of efforts, and promote quality and transparency. This could mean putting services in one location, streamlining application and referral systems, or sharing data and communicating across programs. 

Explore resources on how you can eliminate disparities to advance health equity

Explore resources on how you can increase coordination and collaboration within and across systems

Download and Share Your Participation Badges

The badges are intended for use only during May 2024. If you have any questions, please email opa@hhs.gov.

You still have time to complete OPA’s two games to earn participation badges before NAHM wraps up this week. 

Play Take Action Bingo and download a Bingo Superstar badge for getting three in a row or a Bingo Champion badge for filling out the whole card.  

The final Take Action Q&A will be posted on OPA’s LinkedIn page this Wednesday. If you responded to each of the four prompts, visit the website and download a Q&A Superstar badge. Did you miss any of the first three questions? Answer them now: 

NAHM Badges

Share messages about National Adolescent Health Month

Please join us in celebrating NAHM by sharing our social media and newsletter messages during May. Don't forget to tag OPA on LinkedIn (HHS Office of Population Affairs) and X/Twitter (@HHSPopAffairs) and use the NAHM hashtags in your posts: #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth and #HealthyYouthNAHM.

Please read this trademarking guidance - PDF before using the NAHM logo, name, or acronym. For assistance, please contact: opa@hhs.gov.

X/Twitter/Threads:

  • For the final week of @HHSPopAffairs’ #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth 2024, learn more about advancing health equity through eliminating health disparities and increasing cross-system collaboration and coordination. https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-four #HealthyYouthNAHM 
  • Many young people experience health disparities due to where they are born, grow, live, work, play, worship, and age. We must eliminate these disparities and allow adolescents to reach their fullest potential. @HHSPopAffairs #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-four  
  • To improve the health and well-being of adolescents, we must improve coordination & collaboration across youth-serving systems. This can maximize resources, reduce duplication of efforts, and promote quality & transparency. #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-four  

LinkedIn/Facebook:

  • Adolescents have multiple and diverse needs and require different supports to be healthy. Many young people experience health disparities that disproportionately affect their communities due to the systems and environments where they are born, grow, live, work, play, worship, and age. We allow them to reach their fullest potential by reducing the burden of disease, injury, and violence. Join the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) during National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™) to learn how you can eliminate disparities to advance health equity. https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-four
  • It is also critical to increase coordination and collaboration within and across the systems serving young people (e.g., pediatric settings, social service programs, and the child welfare system). Collaboration and coordination across settings and systems can maximize resources, reduce duplication of efforts, and promote quality and transparency. Improving the health of our nation’s young people pays off for generations to come. Join the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) during National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™) to learn how you can increase coordination and collaboration within and across the systems serving young people. https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-four 

Newsletter:

During National Adolescent Health Month, we can work to advance adolescent health equity

Adolescents have multiple and diverse needs and require different supports to be healthy. We allow them to reach their fullest potential when we reduce the burden of disease, injury, and violence. Many young people experience health disparities that disproportionately affect their communities due to the systems and environments where they are born, grow, live, work, play, worship, and age. It is critical to increase coordination and collaboration within and across the systems serving young people (e.g., pediatric settings, social service programs, and the child welfare system). Learn more from the HHS Office of Population Affairs in recognition of National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™). 

Sharable NAHM Graphics:

   Square NAHM Week 4       Horizontal NAHM Week 4

National Adolescent Health Month™, NAHM™, and the NAHM logo are trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Use of these marks without prior approval by HHS is strictly prohibited.