WHEREAS, massage therapy is beneficial to overall health, and is increasingly part of integrated health care; and

WHEREAS, physicians are prescribing massage to complement traditional medical treatment for illness, injury, and pain; In 2021, 63% of consumers who got a massage for health and wellness reasons stated it was part of a treatment plan from a doctor or medical provider and pain relief or pain management was a top concern when consumers discussed massage with a doctor; 83% eighty-three percent of Americans believe massage therapy should be considered a form of health care; and

WHEREAS, massage therapy has become an important part of work-related stress relief and recovery from sports-related injuries; and

WHEREAS, significant evidence supports the inclusion of massage therapy to achieve many important, positive patient health outcomes, including for those people in various stages of recovery from chronic medical conditions, like low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, and headache; acute medical conditions, like post-operative pain and lymphatic drainage, and; behavioral health conditions, like anxiety and stress, depression, PTSD, and; substance use disorder; and

WHEREAS, a 2017 economic modeling analysis indicates that as many as 5 million people in the United States could potentially benefit from massage therapy for pain relief while reducing the number of people with addiction disorder by over 100,000 per year; and

WHEREAS, e market size of the massage therapy industry is estimated to be $16.6 Billion in 2022, and more than 350,000 massage therapists were employed in the United States in 2021, an increase of 14% over the last decade, and employment numbers projected to increase by over 20% by 2031; and

WHEREAS, in the Silver State thousands licensed massage therapists provide a variety of treatment options for Nevadans as part of their overall health and wellness plans;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, STEVE SISOLAK, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, do hereby proclaim the week of October 23 - 29, 2022, as

MASSAGE THERAPY AWARENESS WEEK IN NEVADA