The school year has ended and students enjoy long afternoons in the sun with friends and family. But what happens when the normal lunchtime routine that exists at school is gone? For many students in the state, getting three meals a day doesn’t come easy. The need for a free or reduced breakfast and lunch that is normally served by schools during the school day still remains when summer begins.

The Alabama Department of Education’s Child Nutrition section offers help for those that do not have access to nutritional, consistent meals. The Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer program are designed to fill the gap and make sure children can get the nutritious meals they need. Both programs were created to ensure children in low-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations.

The Summer Feeding Service program has locations in many local communities in the state. Please contact the site for dates for participation.

The Alabama Department of Mental Health wants to inform Alabamians about a new annual health observance – National Prevention Week. This new observance runs May 20-26, 2012, and is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Dr. Maranda Brown, director of the Office of Prevention Services in ADMH’s Division of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, says, “The Office of Prevention Services is extremely excited about this inaugural annual health observation. NPW sheds light on the efforts within our local communities that strive each day to advance the power of prevention. NPW endeavors to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues while empowering individuals to commit to healthy lifestyles free of substance abuse.

One in every 10 Americans is affected by some form of liver disease. The liver, the largest organ in the body after the skin, is essential for survival. If the liver is not working properly, a person can become very sick and can even die.

The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge the public to learn the risk factors of viral hepatitis. The month of May has been designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month, and May 19 is the first national observance of Hepatitis Testing Day.

The word "hepatitis" means inflammation of the liver. Toxins, certain drugs, some diseases, heavy alcohol use, and bacterial and viral infections can all cause hepatitis. Hepatitis is also the name of a family of viral infections that affect the liver.