Eta Sigma Gamma of WMU-Gamma Mu Chapter

May is Mental Health Awareness Month 💚

Mental health plays an important role in overall health, affecting how we think, feel, handle stress, connect with others, and manage daily life. According to NAMI, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, highlighting the importance of awareness, education, and access to support.

Mental Health Awareness Month helps encourage more open conversations around mental health while also reducing the stigma around seeking help and support. Increasing awareness can help people recognize early signs of stress, anxiety, burnout, and other mental health challenges before they become overwhelming.

Prevention and self-care can look different for everyone, but small habits can make a meaningful impact on mental health over time. Prioritizing quality sleep, staying physically active, taking breaks to recharge, maintaining supportive relationships, talking openly with trusted people, and practicing healthy routines are all examples of ways to support mental health.

Observed every year on February 14th, National Donor Day is an observance dedicated to spreading awareness and education about organ, eye and tissue donation. National Donor Day was started in 1998 by the Saturn Corporation and its partner, the United Auto Workers, and is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Today, 3 of our seniors had the opportunity to present their research poster at the GLC SOPHE conference at Oakland University. We are so proud of all of your hard work!

National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD) is an annual celebration of life that is held in hundreds of communities. Participants unite in a symbolic event to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis can be meaningful and productive. In most areas, NCSD is traditionally observed on the first Sunday in June, although this is not always possible because of scheduling conflicts and time differences. In 2025, NCSD is celebrating its 38th year.

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For more information, contact: Paula Chadwell | National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation | 615-794-3006 | [email protected]

For more information, visit: ncsd.org

We are asking for donations for Eta Sigma Gamma-Gamma Mu. We would love for you to be so generous to donate to help our chapter if you are able to.

Thank you in advance.

Go Broncos!

Addiction does not discriminate, and neither should you. Did you know the CDC states 1 in 7 Americans experiences a substance use disorder?

Person-first language avoids negative labels such as 'addict' and acknowledges the person before their illness, say a person who uses drugs instead!

ESG is promoting men's health this month during No-Shave November!🎩 Here are some tips on maintaining a beard, and if you are willing to donate, scan this QR code. Also, tag, post, or DM, a picture of your beard to be featured on our Instagram page!🧔‍♀️🧔🧔‍♂️

Today is Election Day for the 2022 midterms! This is your friendly reminder to vote, even if you believe you are not a political person, think policies will not impact your life, or think your vote does not matter. Who you vote for has an impact on the following:
💧Air and water quality
📫Your mail delivery
⛽️Gasoline costs
🌳Local public parks
⚠️Building and road infrastructure
📚Public library funding
✏️Public school education
& sexual health education
🚏Public transportation
📄Unemployment insurance and rates
💲Price of taxes
🏡Public housing
💰Minimum wage
🍎Teacher's wages
🩺Medical care costs
🧯Workplace safety standards
💵Social Security & Medicare
🍽️Feeding programs such as SNAP, WIC, Children and Adult Care Food Programs (CACFP)
🍛Food safety, quality, and security
🦽Accessibility laws
🚫Anti-discrimination laws
🩻Health insurance
🗳️Voting rights
💍Marriage equality
⚖️Civil rights
🫀Bodily autonomy

Can you name at least two ways politics and voting could impact your life?

Wondering where you can vote in Michigan? Go to mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index

Make sure to bring your ID when voting in person. If you do not have an ID, expect a poll worker to ask you to sign a form before you vote that explains you didn’t have an ID. Your ballot will be included and counted on Election Day. Polls will close 8pm local time, on November 8, 2022.

‼️IMPORTANT‼️ If you’re still in line when the polls close, you can still vote and have your ballot counted and included on Election Day!

October is Health Literacy Month! As public health educators in the making, we will promote the importance of understanding health information and bringing awareness to barriers that prevent understanding throughout October and our professional lives!👩‍💼🧑‍⚕️👨‍💻

🩺So, what is health literacy?📖
According to the Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC), there are two types of health literacy: personal and organizational.

🩺The third slide provides a sense of what someone with low literacy would experience while reading basic information about a colonoscopy.

🩺How does health literacy affect you?📝
-The largest contributing factor that leads to limited health literacy is general literacy. On average, most Americans are literate; however, 54% of Americans read below a 6th-grade level.
-“Due to increased ER visits, medication errors, and higher levels of illness, healthcare costs are more than four times greater among those with limited literacy”
    (www.amafoundation.org)

📖What does literacy mean?🙉
Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak, and listen. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNESCO) literacy also "involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society."

📖What does health equity mean?🌈✊
The CDC defines health equity as the opportunity for every person to 'attain his or her full health potential', and no one is 'disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.' Health inequities are reflected in differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment."