Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 8 : Spring 2011 | Page 58

Healthy You:

The Colors of Awareness
by Kim Jones, Cary Medical Center

One of the challenges in
healthcare is finding ways to raise
awareness about diseases and
disorders that are often complex
and perhaps even frightening to
think about. It can be very difficult
to get people interested in and
discussing topics like colon cancer,
AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s
disease, or bipolar disorder. But the
fact is that raising awareness about
health issues is one of the most
important ways to prevent disease,
share information about treatment
options, and show support for those
afflicted.

To increase awareness,
healthcare organizations worldwide
now commonly use ribbons. This
eye-catching technique includes
using specific colors of ribbons to
symbolize various health concerns.
Currently, more than 70 diseases
and disorders are represented by a
colored ribbon. (These awareness
campaigns are also often extended to
include flags, jewelry, pins, clothing,
and other promotional items of
the same color.)
The following
list can help you support and raise
awareness about health issues of
interest to you.

Red : HIV/AIDS, Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention,
Pink : Breast Cancer
Orange : Leukemia, ADHD

Green : Mental Health (including depression, anxiety,
Jade : Liver Cancer
Teal : Gynecological Cancers (Ovarian, Cervical and Uterine)
Blue : Colon Cancer, Arthritis, Child Abuse Prevention,
Periwinkle : Esophageal Cancer, Stomach Cancer

Purple / Lavender : Cancer Awareness, Pancreatic Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Thyroid Cancer,
Healthy You is a free community
program from Cary Medical Center
that addresses your overall wellbeing including physical, mental,
emotional, social, and spiritual
health. For program information or
calendar of events, log on to www.
carymedicalcenter.org or call Cary
Medical Center’s Public Relations
Department at 49