Awareness campaigns are initiatives aimed at disease prevention and encouragement of healthy habits. They take place throughout the year and can be excellent opportunities for health plan operators to encourage their customers to take better care of their health, avoiding a series of diseases and, consequently, healthcare costs!

Promote information about diseases and health conditions, encouraging people to carry out preventive exams and routine consultations is the main objective of this type of action, which also serves as support for them to replicate what they learned to other people in their social circle.

Furthermore, as we mentioned in our last post about challenges in supplementary healthcare for the coming years, the aging of the population is a major challenge, because health plans will need to deal with more elderly patients, which in practice means more beneficiaries with chronic illnesses needing continuous care.

Therefore, healthcare providers that carry out awareness campaigns throughout the year promote actions that positively impact not only their own customers, but society as a whole.

 

Discover the main prevention campaigns from January to December

The calendar of awareness campaigns on health-related topics is extensive, starting in January and ending in the last month of the year. But do you know what these prevention projects are and the guidelines proposed for the population? Come with us and check it out month by month:

 

White January

Since 2014, White January has promoted an awareness campaign on the topic of mental health in the country. Chosen because it is a symbolic month, in which people organize themselves to achieve new goals throughout the year that begins, White January aims to end the taboo and pay more attention to care and treatments to keep the body and mind healthy.

 

February Purple/Orange

Also created in 2014, the Purple February has as its motto “if there is no cure, at least there is comfort”, making the defense of well-being and quality of life central to patients suffering from chronic and incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's, Fibromyalgia and Lupus.

This month we also have the campaign February Orange, which deals with leukemia.

 

March Navy Blue / Lilac

O Navy Blue March, in turn, aims to promote awareness among the male public about preventing and combating colorectal cancer, a malignant tumor that occurs in the rectum of the large intestine, being one of the most frequent causes of cancer among men in Brazil.

Already the Lilac March is aimed at a female audience and addresses cervical cancer awareness and prevention.

 

April Blue/Green

O Blue April is an awareness campaign about autism spectrum disorder, also known by the acronym ASD, a disorder that usually affects the neurological system, compromising communication and interpersonal behavior.

And Green April highlights the importance of safety at work.

 

May Red/Yellow

The campaign Red May was created to alert the population against the dangers that hepatitis can bring to life. It is a disease that is often silent and generally does not present symptoms until it becomes more serious, but early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can be used to combat it.

Already Yellow May, establishes debates on the prevention of traffic accidents.

 

June Red/Orange

O Red June is celebrated across the country because of World Blood Donor Day, which occurs on June 14th. The proposal is to raise awareness among people about the importance of the blood donation movement, which is essential for patients who depend on blood transfusions to survive.

O June Orange is a campaign dedicated to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of anemia and leukemia, diseases that can affect adults and children. Anemia is a serious global public health problem.

 

Yellow July

O Yellow July It is the month of prevention and awareness about viral hepatitis (type A, B or C), which compromise the functioning of the liver and can lead to numerous problems in the body. Established by Federal Law No. 13,802, of January 10, 2019, the campaign was created by MBHV (Brazilian Movement to Fight Viral Hepatitis) and SBH (Brazilian Society of Hepatology) in 2015.

 

Golden August

O Golden August was chosen by the WHO (World Health Organization) to symbolize the fight to encourage breastfeeding – the golden color is related to the gold standard of breast milk quality. In Brazil, August was also called “Breastfeeding Month”.

 

September Red/Yellow/Green

The month of September is a reference for various awareness campaigns, such as the Red September – an action that aims, precisely, to publicize the importance of preventing and treating these diseases, as well as taking care of the heart. To achieve this, there are two essential measures: adopting healthy habits and having a cardiological check-up periodically.

Already the September Yellow aims to prevent suicide.

And the Green September brings together three important campaigns: encouraging organ donation, preventing bowel cancer, and the inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

 

Pink October

Pink October is one of the most popular annual awareness campaigns in Brazil, aiming to increase the prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer, one of the main types among women today.

Seeking professional help is essential in the fight against breast cancer. Second lifting from the National Cancer Institute, more than 65 thousand women develop the disease annually.

 

Blue/Gold November

O Blue november is an awareness campaign carried out by several entities in the month of November aimed at society and, in particular, men, to raise awareness about male diseases, with an emphasis on prevention and early diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The campaign Golden November emphasizes the role of early diagnosis of cancer in children and adolescents.

 

Red/Orange December

O Red December, campaign established by Law No. 13,504/2017, marks a major national mobilization in the fight against the HIV virus, AIDS and other STIs (sexually transmitted infections), drawing attention to prevention, assistance and protection of the rights of infected people with HIV.

The campaign Orange December was created in 2014 by the Brazilian Society of Dermatology. The action is part of the National Skin Cancer Prevention Campaign. Since 1999, an annual campaign of free services has benefited more than 600,000 people.

 

Create an annual awareness campaign plan for your healthcare provider

Investing in prevention campaigns is an intelligent and even survival strategy for healthcare providers in the medium and long term. That's why we created this post, where we present the most popular awareness campaigns carried out in Brazil from January to December. Take advantage of this content to put together an annual awareness campaign plan and start putting it into practice at your operator.

To give you an idea, Pink October, one of the pioneering awareness campaigns in the country, has led to an increase in demand for preventive exams. O Supplementary Health Assistance Map records that, in 2019, there was an increase of 1.6% in the number of mammography exams, one of the main ways to prevent breast cancer.

In addition to the financial benefits from prevention, operators that join the campaigns offer additional care to their users — welcoming —, leaving them safer and with a feeling of appreciation for the services they receive. This, without a doubt, provides more satisfaction and loyalty.

What should be included in awareness campaigns:

• information and clarifications about diseases;
• guidance on health care;
• information about the importance of self-knowledge and immediate perception of symptoms;
• incentives to carry out laboratory tests;
• guidelines regarding the search for doctors on a regular and preventive basis.

When the operators They manage to make their customers adopt behaviors that take greater care of their health, restoring their self-esteem, the benefits are perceived and are important for both sides, that is, customer and operator.

 

How can a medical audit system enrich awareness campaigns?

In this article we present the main awareness campaigns carried out in Brazil throughout the year, divided by months and their respective colors.

Knowing these special dates is strategic for the manager of health plan operators, since we know that operators need to invest in prevention to obtain better results in the medium and long term, not to mention that health plan operators who join the movement only increase the credibility of services and customer loyalty.

A valuable tip from manager to manager: when implementing your operator's campaigns, it is worth consulting the Management Reports to significantly enrich your communication. If your operator already has a medical bill audit system, it becomes even easier. If you don't have it yet, take advantage of this moment and meet SAUDI.

Did you like knowing that, throughout the year, you can engage your customers in health campaigns? Do you want more information about this and other topics related to the success of your healthcare provider? Subscribe to our Newsletter on the right side of this post; ) and follow SAUDI on the main social networks: Instagram, at the Facebook and in LinkedIn.