Help young people grow and thrive in a healthy way

Every May, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs hosts National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM). This national health observance celebrates adolescents and young adults, encourages authentic engagement to improve adolescent health and well-being, and promotes information about important adolescent health topics.

Here are three ways to get involved for NAHM:

• Share information and resources with partners and the young people you serve: Resources for National Adolescent Health Month.
• Post about NAHM on social media: Social Media Posts for National Adolescent Health Month. Use the hashtags #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth and #HealthyYouthNAHM.
• Encourage young people in your community to celebrate National Adolescent Health Month.

The DOH Adolescent and Young Adult Health Unit promotes positive youth development and supports the whole-person health of teens throughout the year with a variety of programs, including:

• Maternal Child Health Block Grant
• School-Based Health Centers
• Washington State Personal Responsibility Education Program
• Office of Population Affairs funded Teen Pregnancy Prevention program, the Washington Youth Sexual Health Innovation and Impact Network

All programs benefit from the insight and experience of young people ages 13-22 who serve on the Youth Advisory Council. Council members meet throughout the year and share their thoughts and recommendations about adolescent and young adult public health topics with WA DOH staff, who work to turn their insights into action.

One of the most important needs identified by the Youth Advisory Council is for a place to go for credible, high-quality, and teen-friendly health information online. To meet this need, Adolescent Health staff are collaborating with the Council and other DOH partners to create a youth-focused Adolescent Health InfoHub with curated resources on the DOH website. Stay tuned for updates as this project progresses.

Want to connect with the Adolescent and Young Adult Health Unit? Reach out to AdolescentHealthUnit@doh.wa.gov.