2004 HEALTH FAIRS

The National Museum of Health and Medicine and Health Pact will host a free "National Health Awareness Kickoff" program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month in the year 2004. Each month, the museum will focus on a different health issue and medical professionals will be onsite to discuss early detection and prevention options with museum visitors. There will also be screening areas to have body fat analysis, blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol checked. Reservations should be made at least a day in advance by calling 202-782-2200.

Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004 is "Glaucoma Awareness Month"
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004 is "American Heart Month"
Saturday, Mar. 6, 2004 is "National Kidney Month"
Saturday, Apr. 3, 2004 is "National Foot Health Awareness Month"
Saturday, May 1, 2004 is "National High Blood Pressure Month"
Saturday, Jun. 5, 2004 is "National Safety Month"
Saturday, Jul. 3, 2004 is "Substance Abuse Awareness Month"
Saturday, Aug. 7, 2004 is "Cataract Awareness Month"
Saturday, Sep. 4, 2004 is "Cholesterol Education Month"
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004 is "Dental Hygiene Month"
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2004 is "American Diabetes Month"
Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004 is "Safe Toys and Gifts Month"

For information about these and other programs, call 202-782-2200 or email us at nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil. Each program will be listed a month in advance on the museum's website. For photographs and descriptions of recently held programs, visit us at www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum/events/events.html.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine offers a wide variety of programs open to the public throughout the year. Programs are aimed at adults and children, take place on weekends, weekdays, and evenings, and range in topics that include medical, scientific, and historical subjects.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine began as the national repository for Civil War injuries when Surgeon General William Hammond directed medical officers in the field to collect "specimens of morbid anatomy . . . together with projectiles and foreign bodies removed" and to forward them to the newly founded museum for study.

Founded to study and improve medical conditions during the American Civil War, the museum is an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Its specimens and artifacts were the first museum collection in the country and are currently the only in Washington, D.C. to be registered by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark. The Secretary of the Interior, who has designated only 2,340 districts, sites, buildings, and structures for listing in the National Register, selected the museum's collection because of its "exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States."

Open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the museum is located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. and Elder Street, NW, Washington, D.C. The web site is www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum and the telephone number is 202-782-2200. Admission and parking are free.