I’m pleased to announce that the AASM is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project. Through a five-year cooperative agreement, the AASM will develop and implement the project to reduce the staggering national burden of poor sleep health and sleep illness. The project will involve the formation of a coalition of partners and collaborators, with strategic direction provided by leaders of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society (SRS).
Project strategies will promote the achievement of the Healthy People 2020 objectives related to increasing the medical evaluation of people with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, reducing vehicular crashes due to drowsy driving and ensuring more Americans get sufficient sleep. Tactics will include a widespread public awareness campaign, health care provider education, and improved sleep health data collection.
As sleep medicine professionals, we are well aware that sleep is one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle, directly impacting every aspect of health and well-being. This new partnership with the CDC, the nation’s health protection agency, will amplify our message that quality, sufficient sleep is a vital sign of good health.
Currently the AASM is in the initial stages of planning the project with the CDC. I look forward to providing you with updates as we make progress on its implementation in 2014.
Through this project and other initiatives, we will continue to advance the AASM vision of achieving optimal health through better sleep. We look forward to working with the SRS and other stakeholders on this important initiative to promote and improve sleep health.
Sincerely,
M. Safwan Badr, MD
President
