TOP NEWS
New Report Highlights Lifesaving Benefits of Zero-Emission Cars: Our new report, “Driving to Clean Air: Health Benefits of Zero-Emission Cars and Electricity,” shows that a widespread transition to zero-emission passenger vehicles and electricity would dramatically improve health and save lives. Read More
What the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Means to You: Last month on May 11, the public health emergency tied to the COVID-19 pandemic ended. To help people navigate the testing, treatment and healthcare changes during this time, the American Lung Association announced new resources for the public at Lung.org/covid-updates.
Help in Becoming more Energy Efficient: Summer is the best time to be energy efficient. Keeping yourself and your home cool and safe can include using a fan or air purifier to circulate clean indoor air or keeping lights off during the day. Spending time indoors by the AC or fan, however, can increase energy costs. Consider using energy solutions that reduce the production of harmful gases and out-of-pocket costs for homeowners. SunPower offers solar panels that can produce electricity throughout the winter months to supplement other energy sources that can create harmful emissions that negatively impact our lung health. For each completed consultation of a SunPower system now until July 14, 2023, you can get a $500 VISA Reward Card rebate, plus SunPower will donate $135 to the American Lung Association, with a minimum donation of $30,000. Learn more.
SUPPORT THE LUNG ASSOCIATION
Summer’s here and it’s a great time to get out and support the Lung Association! We have treks, walks and events to suit all interests. You can show you care about healthy lungs by participating or supporting any number of events across the country. Get involved!
LUNG CANCER
Celebrating One Million Saved By The Scan Quiz Completions
This month, we celebrated the groundbreaking milestone of one million lung cancer screening eligibility quiz completions for the Saved By The Scan campaign. Since we launched Saved By The Scan in 2017 in partnership with the Ad Council, lung cancer screening rates among those eligible have increased by more than 170%. You can learn more about inspiring stories of those who were screened by visiting our website
Healthy Air
Protecting Health from Wildfire Smoke: Recent wildfires in Canada led to many Eastern states experiencing unhealthy and even hazardous levels of air pollution. The Lung Association has tips for how people can protect themselves from wildfire smoke. Learn more in our news release and dig into more resources at Lung.org/wildfires.
Tell EPA to Support Cleaner Vehicles and Stronger Limits on Power Plant Pollution: You have the opportunity to make a real difference in the quality of the air we all breathe! Participate in three Environmental Protection Agency open comment periods. Speak out on behalf of cleaner cars and trucks, stronger limits on mercury and toxic air pollution and new limits on carbon pollution from power plants. It’s easy, only takes a minute and makes a big difference!
PATIENT SUPPORT
LGBTQ+ Community and Lung Health: There at least 20 million people in the U.S. who identify as LGBTQ+, and yet this group continues to face persistent health inequities. It is essential to recognize these inequities and the unique challenges and disparities people who are LGBTQ+ face in accessing quality care. The Lung Association recognizes and is committed to addressing the health inequities experienced by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Read More
Youth Empowerment Website Launched
We have officially launched the Youth Empowerment page within Lung.org! This website encourages youth and young adults to help build, participate and live in a world free of lung disease by finding inspiration, passion and taking action! The Lung Association works closely with many statewide youth empowerment movements. We encourage you to check out what these groups are doing in their communities for a healthier future by visiting Lung.org/Get-Involved/Youth-Empowerment today!
Empower Your Community Website Launched
We have launched the collection of health equity toolkits within the Empower Your Community page within Lung.org! The toolkits listed below serve as guidelines to understand common barriers to quitting tobacco and to strengthen collective approaches to addressing commercial tobacco use in our communities. These toolkits have resources that will serve to strengthen the knowledge that educators, social service providers, healthcare providers, researchers and community-based organizations have regarding tobacco use, prevention and cessation to better serve their communities.
- Addressing Tobacco Use in Black Communities Toolkit
- Addressing Tobacco Use in Hispanic or Latino Communities Toolkit (English and Spanish)
- Addressing Commercial Tobacco Use in Indigenous Communities Toolkit
Now Available—Asthma & COPD Medicine Chart
The Lung Association’s Asthma & COPD Medicine Chart is now available for purchase through our print store. This chart identifies current medicines and devices available for those with asthma or COPD and can be used by healthcare professionals as an educational tool with patients and caregivers. Visit Lung.org/printstore to purchase or download for free from the Asthma Resource Library.
HBCU Students and Asthma Initiative
American Lung Association is partnering AstraZeneca, Amgen and Sanofi Regeneron to fully fund the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Students and Asthma Initiative for a second year. In Year 2, the initiative will expand to reach young adults who attend community colleges by offering an adult asthma self-management program, Breathe Well, Live Well (BWLW), to students with asthma. With this expansion, the project will now be called the Young Adults and Asthma project. The project will continue to support six HBCUs who participated in Year 1 and onboard six new HBCUs to offer BWLW to their students.
Newly Diagnosed with an Interstitial Lung Disease Webinar: July 25, 3 p.m. CT
Register now to attend this July 25 webinar. Learn from both Erica Farrand, MD, UCSF, and Laura R., a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This presentation will cover topics such as diagnosis, symptoms, management and treatment options, and a review of Lung Association resources. You may also register now for a follow-up course, Living with ILD webinar, scheduled for October.
RESEARCH
Spotlight on Published Research:
How Power Plants Shape Infant Health - Summer Hawkins, PhD, a Catalyst Awardee, published recent work showing that living near power plants has a negative effect on infant health. Dr. Hawkins’ team scoured birth certificate data from 50 states and DC to determine an association between prenatal exposure to power plants and birth outcomes overall and by race/ethnicity. Read the full study here.
Delays in Lung Cancer Screening Associated with Advanced Disease - Kristina Crothers, MD and Matthew Triplette, MD, recently published research showing that half of patients who were screened positive for lung cancer had delayed follow-up care. That critical delay was associated more advanced disease. Drs. Crothers and Triplette were awarded the Lung Cancer Discovery award and American Lung Association/American Thoracic Society/CHEST Foundation Respiratory Health Equity Research Award, respectively. Read the full study here.
Keep up with the latest in lung health research at lung.org/research-news.
EACH BREATH BLOG
Lung Association Researcher Studies Role of Diet in Asthma - Jing Gennie Wang, MD, of Ohio State University received Lung Association’s ACRC Early Career Investigator award for her research project, “Determining Influence of Plant-Based Diet on Asthma and Response to Air Pollution.” According to Dr. Wang, “We need to figure out what kinds of plant-based diets may affect asthma and in which ways. Will eating more nutritious plant-based foods protect against fine particulate matter and its impact on asthma flares?” Read about Dr. Wang’s innovative research on our Each Breath Blog.
Everything we do is THANKS TO YOU!!
Without your support, our work would never get off the ground! We want to thank you for your steadfast support that makes it possible to champion healthy lungs for all!
Blog last updated: August 23, 2023
