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World Health Worker Week 2016

 
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WORLD HEALTH WORKER WEEK 2016
April 3-9, 2016
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http://worldhealthworkerweek.tumblr.com/
WHAT IS WORLD HEALTH WORKER WEEK? #WHWWeek
World Health Worker Week is an opportunity to mobilize communities, partners, and policy makers in support of health workers in your community and around the world. It is a time to celebrate the amazing work that they do and it is a time to raise awareness of the challenges they face every day. Perhaps most importantly, it is an opportunity to fill the gaps in the health workforce by calling on those in power to ensure that health workers have the training, supplies and support they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.
Why do #HEALTHWORKERSCOUNT?
Photo credit: Trevor Snapp/ IntraHealth International

Frontline health workers are the backbone of effective health systems - and are those directly providing services where they are most needed, especially in remote and rural areas. They are the first and often the only link to health care for millions of people, and are capable of providing many life-saving interventions. Frontline health workers provide immunizations and treat common infections. They are on the frontlines of battling deadly diseases diseases like Ebola and HIV/AIDS, and many families rely on them as trusted sources of information for preventing, treating and managing a variety of leading killers including diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and tuberculosis. Simply put, without frontline health workers, there would be no health care for millions of families in the developing world.

 
How can I get involved?

Share stories honoring health workers in your community (or communities you work in) with the hashtag #WHWWeek and #HealthWorkersCount & participate in our WHWW Twitter Chat at 1PM ET on 4th April. 

Organize events, local advocacy campaigns and other activities calling global leaders to prioritize health workforce strengthening. Download our World Health Worker Week Toolkit for Engagement for more ideas, here!

Take Action for Health Workers
Strengthening the global frontline health workforce will decrease preventable deaths and reduce the threat both here and abroad posed by diseases like Ebola. House Resolution 419 (H. Res. 419) calls on all relevant Federal agencies in the United States to develop a coordinated, comprehensive action plan to assist developing countries in strengthening the global frontline health workforce. 
 

  Click here to take action to let your member of Congress know how important frontline health workers are to saving lives and increasing security from global health threats!