May 2025 healthcare observances and marketing ideas
May’s healthcare observances offer perfect opportunities to strengthen patient relationships and boost your practice’s community outreach efforts.
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At a Glance
- May offers healthcare practices multiple observance opportunities to strengthen patient bonds.
- Month-long events like Mental Health, Nurses, and Stroke Awareness Months provide marketing options.
- Single-day observances for asthma, MS, and other conditions expand community outreach possibilities.
April showers bring May flowers — and a fresh batch of opportunities to strengthen patient ties and do some community outreach. Whether you choose to plan marketing events for month-long observances like Mental Health Awareness Month or daily observances like World Asthma Day, you and your team have plenty of options.
| Click here for our full list of 2025 healthcare observances and marketing ideas. |
May 2025 month-long observances
Here are key month-long observances to note in May.
Mental Health Awareness Month
By the numbers, the statistics on mental health are startling, to say the least:
- Almost 1 in 4 US adults live with a mental health condition.
- 50% of mental illness cases begin by age 14, and 75% start by age 24.
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among kids aged 10-14 and the 3rd leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15-24.
Each May, however, medical practices can use the opportunity to raise awareness, educate their communities about mental illnesses, reduce stigma, and advocate for policies that support individuals with mental health conditions.
Providers can also use the month as a reminder to take care of their own well-being to ensure they give their patients top care.
Marketing ideas:
- Distribute and encourage your staff to wear a Mental Health Awareness ribbon (green) for the month of May. You could also distribute ribbons to your patients.
- Partner with mental health professionals in your area to host virtual workshops or webinars focusing on stress management, mindfulness, self-care techniques, and coping strategies.
- Collaborate with mental health professionals to offer free counseling sessions or online support groups.
- Share informative infographics or videos debunking common myths about mental health across social media platforms, blogs, and newsletters. Visit Mental Health America for a toolkit.
National Nurses Month
To honor the nearly 5 million registered nurses in the US, National Nurses Month is celebrated in May. Those planning marketing activities and events should also note that National Nurses Week 2025 begins on National Nurses Day — which is May 6 — and ends on May 12, which incidentally is the birthday of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.
The 2025 theme for National Nurses Week is “Care, Lead, Inspire — Repeat.”
Marketing ideas:
- Host a team breakfast (or lunch) to recognize the dedication and hard work of the nurses in your office or organization.
- Offer discounts or special promotions on healthcare products and services exclusively for nurses.
- Share inspiring stories of nurses making a difference in their communities on social media platforms, blogs, and newsletters.
- Encourage patients to weigh in with their support. Roll out a bulletin board where they can add notes of appreciation to the nurses on your team.
- Partner with local businesses to provide gift baskets or care packages for nurses working on the frontlines.
National Stroke Awareness Month
More than 795,000 people in the US have a stroke each year. Having a stroke puts people at higher risk of having a second one. However, the good news is that up to 80% of strokes may be prevented. Monitoring blood pressure, maintaining a healthy diet, and staying active can help prevent another stroke — and assessing for the F.A.S.T. warning signs can help save lives.
Marketing ideas:
- Host free blood pressure screenings, distributing red ribbons to staff and patients to promote stroke awareness.
- Share F.A.S.T warning sign infographics across social media platforms, blogs, and practice newsletters.
- Partner with local fitness centers to offer "Heart-Healthy" workshops focusing on stroke prevention strategies.
- Create an in-office display with stroke risk assessment tools and prevention literature for patients to take home.
Additional month-long observations to note include:
- Arthritis Awareness Month
- Better Sleep Month
- High Blood Pressure Awareness Month
- Lyme Disease Awareness Month
- Maternal Mental Health Month
- National Women’s Health Month
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May 2025 healthcare observance days to note
Here are some day-long healthcare observances you can also note on your marketing calendar.
World Asthma Day, May 6
According to the World Health Organization, asthma affects an estimated 262 million people and may be responsible for as many as 455,000 deaths. To get the word out, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) started World Asthma Day — an observance that aims to raise asthma awareness, improve asthma care, and support the millions affected by the condition.
The 2025 theme for World Asthma Day is “Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL.”
Marketing ideas:
- Distribute and encourage your staff to wear an asthma awareness ribbon (gray) for the month of May. You could also distribute ribbons to your patients.
- Offer free asthma screenings or pulmonary function tests or partner with local clinics or pharmacies to do so.
- Launch a social media campaign that shares information on asthma triggers, management techniques, and the importance of medication adherence.
- Host virtual workshops or seminars on asthma prevention, recognizing symptoms, and creating asthma action plans.
- Partner with schools or community centers to distribute asthma-friendly resources and promote asthma-friendly environments.
World MS Day, May 30
Research shows that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.9 million people worldwide. To help raise awareness, the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) established World MS Day to mobilize support for those living with the condition and advocate for better access to treatment and care.
The 2025 theme for World MS Day is “My MS Diagnosis.”
Marketing ideas:
- Organize (or arrange for your staff and patients to participate in) virtual fundraising events, such as online auctions or charity walks, to support MS research and advocacy efforts.
- Share educational resources about MS symptoms, treatment options, and lifestyle management tips across social media platforms, blogs, and newsletters. Visit World MS Day for a toolkit.
- Amplify MS awareness on social media using designated hashtags (#MSAwareness, #MSactivist, #MS, #MSresearch).
- Partner with other healthcare professionals or specialists to host virtual Q&A sessions addressing common questions about MS.
Additional observance days to note include:
- World Ovarian Cancer Day, May 8
- World Hypertension Day, May 17
- World Schizophrenia Day, May 24
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