Materials for Planning Activities - Ideas for National Women's Health Week Events

Hold a free screening

On National Women's Check-Up Day (Monday, May 12, 2008) hold a free screening for members of your community or your employees. There are a wide range of screenings, such as blood pressure, mammograms, cholesterol, blood glucose, pap smears, bone density, BMI or STD checks. Depending on the screening, you can host the event at your office, a local hospital, community center or even a fitness center. It's a good idea to have a doctor or healthcare professional on site to answer questions and to distribute or display women's health information. You may even want to explore the possibility of raffling off a prize. The prize can be a basket of women's health supplies and resources, such as a gift certificate for a massage or manicure, coupons for a sporting goods store, vitamins and bottles of water.

Hold a lunch 'n' learn for your employees

During National Women's Health Week, invite a speaker to come to your office and educate your employees on some aspect of women's health. Or to encourage male employees to join, make it a broad health topic, like overall nutrition and fitness. You can provide a healthy lunch for your employees or encourage them to do a healthy potluck where everyone brings a nutritious dish to pass. It's a great time to discuss your organization's commitment to health and the various health benefits you offer.

Hold a Speaker Series

Throughout National Women's Health Week, invite local health experts to speak to your employees or members of your community about various women's health topics. You can invite the speaker to your office during lunch, or work with a local bookstore, coffee shop or library to hold the event at night. You can display women's health information and make the event interactive by opening it up to a discussion at the end.

Have a proclamation signed

Work with a local government official, like your mayor or congressman, to have a proclamation signed. Hold a media event and invite reporters from your local newspapers and TV and radio stations. Invite the mayor or congressman to attend and have him or her sign the proclamation at the event. Also consider inviting a health expert in your community to speak, as well as other organizations who may want to participate. Don't forget to display and disseminate women's health information and have the proclamation printed on poster board. Click here for more ideas.

Have a WOMAN Challenge kick-off event

Gather a group of women in your community to join the WOMAN Challenge and kick it off by sponsoring a walk. Much like the breast cancer walks held around the country, arrange for women in the community to kick off the WOMAN Challenge by doing a 5K walk through the streets of your community. The walk can raise money for a certain women's health issue or it can just be for fun. Consider having the event start and end at a local sporting goods store or health center, where you display women's health information and hand out goodies, like bottles of water and energy bars.

Host a Mother's Day Health event

Since National Women's Health Week kicks off on Mother's Day, a day when Moms are already celebrating with their families (at brunch for example), why not work with a local restaurant to provide Moms with women's health information, like the Office on Women's Health Lifetime of Good Health guides? It's a great way to reach women, disseminate women's health information and encourage Moms to take time for themselves.

Content last updated July 8, 2008.