Advocacy and Mental Health Awareness

The pathway to becoming (and remaining) a DO is not easy.

It’s fraught with obstacles that affect not only the DOs themselves, but their families.

The unique challenges of the spouses of DOs can be improved by creating community with one another… and when the families of DOs feel supported, those DOs are empowered to do their best work and remain in the profession long-term.

Creating that community is what the AAOA does.

Below is our list of partners for Mental Health Awareness.

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program

Recognizing the importance of promoting good mental health among physicians, the AAOA has partnered with the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program to educate and raise awareness for suicide prevention. We provide Yellow Ribbon Ask 4 Help!® Cards to our affiliates and medical schools.

NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness

We have added an additional partner for mental health. NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation's leading voice on mental health. Today, they are an alliance of more than 600 local Affiliates and 49 State Organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need.

We are partnering with them on adding additional teaching resources at the COMs, working on providing materials for doctors, patients and caregivers with the AOA, tools on this website, an SAA/IRAA Seminar, and we created a mental health bracelet with part of the proceeds going to NAMI. These bracelets can be purchased each year at our table during the AOA House of Delegates and/or OMED.