To Your Health
With some questionable health advice being posted by your friends on Facebook, politicians arguing about the state of the American healthcare system and a new medical study being summarized in just a sentence or two on TV—that seems to contradict the study you heard summarized yesterday—it can be overwhelming to navigate the ever-changing landscape of health news.
To Your Health: Chronic Disease Awareness
KRCU Public Radio |
By
Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs
Published July 8, 2026 at 11:01 AM CDT
Tomorrow is Chronic Disease Day. Observed annually on July 10, this is a national awareness and advocacy initiative dedicated to addressing the significant impact of chronic diseases in the United States. The date, 7/10, underscores a critical statistic: seven out of 10 deaths in the U.S. are caused by chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes
Chronic Disease Day was established in 2014 and continues to be led by Good Days, a national non-profit charitable organization that lifts the burdens of chronic illness through assistance, advocacy, and education
Chronic diseases collectively claim more than 1.7 million lives each year. But the deadliest and costliest chronic diseases are also the most preventable. Preventing and managing chronic disease often requires patients to make healthy lifestyle changes and adjustments to their daily routines. According to the American Medical Association, managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, lowering blood glucose, eating better, becoming more active, and quitting smoking are all key prevention measures. However, hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from unpreventable chronic conditions and need access to care. Chronic Disease Day is an opportunity for legislators to pledge to advance legislation that supports a patient’s ability to access the care they need.
