June 22 2021
National Health Center Week is an annual celebration to raise awareness about the accomplishments of America’s health centers over the past five decades. There are many events planned each year around the country for National Health Center Week. During National Health Center Week, these events spotlight the amazing work done by community health centers.
The 2021 National Health Center Week Begins August 8 – 14, 2021. Each day throughout the week is dedicated to important topics including:
Sunday, 8/8: Public Health in Housing Day
Monday, 8/9: Healthcare for the Homeless Day
Tuesday, 8/10: Agricultural Worker Health Day
Wednesday, 8/11: Patient Appreciation Day
Thursday, 8/12: Stakeholder Appreciation Day
Friday, 8/13: Health Center Staff Appreciation Day
Saturday, 8/14: Children’s Health Day
Click here to see the full 2021 National Health Center Week schedule.
Events to Support National Health Center Week
The easiest way to support National Health Center Week at your organization is to plan an event. This can seem overwhelming at first, but don't worry. There are some easy ways to plan events of all sizes at your community health center.
Let's start with a list. We are big fans of lists, because you can break larger projects into smaller tasks.
Budgeting for National Health Center Week
You can't start a project like planning an event without knowing your budget. Don't feel bad, if you have a lower budget. The important thing at this point is to at least know what it is. We have worked with community health centers of all sizes and even with a very small budget, you can still support National Health Center Week with a cool event.
Who Will Attend Our Event?
This is a very important question to answer. If you are planning an event for your community, you will need lots of handouts and ways to engage many people. If you are planning a National Health Center Week event for fundraising purposes, your focus probably shifts to something smaller in scale, but with incentives for your potential donors.
Staffing Your Event
Many community health centers utilize a mix of employees and volunteers to maximize the effectiveness of their events. We recommend adding in items like lanyards or t-shirts to make it clear who is an event staff member vs other attendees.
The Goal Of National Health Center Week Events
What do you want to achieve with your event? Do you want to bring together the community and show them some of the positive healthcare services that are available to them? Is it strictly a branding and awareness event for your community health center? Perhaps you pick an important health topic for your community and really highlight it at the event with educational information and linkage to care. These are all great options for your National Health Center Week events.