INTERNATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH WEEK OBSERVED 15-21 JUNE 2009

VIENNA, AUSTRIA --13 JUNE 2009 -- International Men’s Health Week (http://www.ismh.org) will be observed throughout our global village from 15 June 2009 through 21 June 2009. International Men's Health Week was created in 2002 by representatives from six leading men's health organizations around the world who met at the Second World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria. The goal of International Men's Health Week is to create global awareness of male health issues and promote international and intranational institutions to develop health policies and services that effectively address the unique health issues of Men throughout our global village.


During International Men's Health Week from 15-21 June 2009, Men and those who love and care for them, male health organizations, Fatherhood Practitioners, Fathers’ Rights Advocates, male parenting organizations, social entrepreneurs, and members of the business, medical and scientific communities, and community grassroots organizations throughout our global village will conduct and participate in men’s health events that include, but are not limited to, free medical screenings, men’s health educational events – seminars and conferences, and media events. In past years during International Men’s Health Week, a Urological Cancer Organization Forum was conducted in Australia; hospitals offered free health screenings and restaurants offered healthy food selections in Austria; in Canada, The Men’s Health Society Of British Columbia organized a picnic event, an open house, and an athletic event; in Denmark, a Symposium on Men’s Health was conducted; in England, Scotland, and Wales, a coalition of organizations orchestrated a series of events which raised awareness for men’s health issues; and in the United States, work place health screenings, lectures by athletes, and public awareness campaigns have been conducted.



The alarmingly rising incidence of prostate cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, heart disease and strokes among men throughout our global village has created the need for an International Men’s Health Week. What will International Men’s Health Week accomplish? It will increase awareness of the unique health issues of Men throughout our global village and encourage international and intranational institutions to provide men with greater access to resources and support services that address their unique health issues, increase research and research funding for prostate cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, and heart disease, and develop and make available with all deliberate speed effective remedies for the unique health issues that confront millions of men throughout our global village. And particularly, in the United States, International Men's Health Week will call attention to the need for the creation and enactment of the Men's Health Act of 2009 which will lead to the establishment of an Office of Men's Health within the United States Department of Health and Human Services which would be an effective advocate for Men's health issues in the same manner that the establishment in 1991 of an Office of Women's Health in the United States Department of Human and Health Services has effectively advocated women's health issues.



So, who participates in International Men’s Health Week activities? The Men’s Health Forum in England and Wales, Men’s Health Society of British Columbia in British Columbia, the San Maarten Public Health Department in The Netherlands Antilles, the Men’s Health Information and Resource Centre in Australia, and the Men’s Health Network in the United States.



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