Let’s Tackle COVID-19 Together: The U.S. is making great progress reducing the impact of COVID-19, but there’s still more to be done! As a founding partner of the White House Vaccination Task Force, the American Lung Association is focused on helping Americans achieve the 70% vaccination goal. You can also help by becoming an American Lung Association Vaccine Ambassador and doing the following:
- Lead by example and get vaccinated!
- Reach out to 3 friends or family to discuss vaccination, especially those who may be hesitant or undecided.
- Share our science-based information, our PSA or Better For It toolkit or direct them to our vaccine information page.
Find the latest at Lung.org/covid19 and be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram social channels and share these timely resources to your network.
SUPPORT THE LUNG ASSOCIATION
Get Out and Help the Lung Association! Summer is here and we invite you to get outside and join one of our fundraising events! Your support at our vents like our Climbs, Walks and Treks does so much to make our vision of a world free of lung disease a reality! With COVID-19, our lungs could be at risk right now. That’s why your support is more important than ever! Find an event near you and register today.
Looking for Lung Swag? We’ve launched our new American Lung Association E-store, where you can purchase American Lung Association and LUNG FORCE branded clothing and other items. Wear your Lung Association spirit with pride and support our mission through the purchase of this merchandise. New items will be added to the e-store all the time, so be sure to check back regularly.
LUNG CANCER
Lung Cancer Screening Panel: On June 10, our chief medical officer Al Rizzo, M.D., moderated a virtual panel discussion about “Lung Cancer Screening & Treatment After COVID-19.” Hosted by HCPLive and OncLive, this free webinar is geared toward healthcare professionals and will provide an overview of the latest research and trends, as well as insight into the new screening guidelines. For more information, visit: Lung Cancer Screening & Treatment Webinar.
LUNG FORCE Expo Registration Now Open: Registration for our LUNG FORCE Expo, on June 24, for healthcare professionals is now open. The virtual LUNG FORCE Expo is designed to help learn about the latest trends in research, treatments and recommendations for lung cancer, COPD and other lung diseases.
LUNG FORCE Hero: Clinical psychologist and LUNG FORCE Hero Betsy Stratton grew up on a farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania alongside four siblings, including her twin Jane and their oldest sister Hannah. Tragically, Hannah was diagnosed with bronchial adenoma in the early 2000s and after three years, succombed to the disease. Bronchial adenoma is a rare type of cancer that can start in the mucous glands and ducts of the lungs. Betsy shares how her commitment to LUNG FORCE helps honor her sister’s memory.
LUNG HEALTH SUPPORT
Prepare Now for Wildfires: Wildfire season is here, and more homes are being impacted by wildfire smoke. There are steps you can take now to prepare. Sign up for emergency alerts and know several ways to evaluate the area. Gather emergency supplies. Plan to keep wildfire smoke out of at least one room in your home with a portable air cleaner or filter. Purchase the portable air cleaner now, if you can. They are often out of stock during an emergency. And keep track of the air quality near you with airnow.gov. You can learn more about wildfire preparation at Lung.org/wildfires.
COPD Action Plans Updated: We’ve made important updates to one of our most valuable patient resources. The English and Spanish versions of our COPD Action and Management Plan have been updated to include a place to record COVID-19 vaccination dates, and provide more concise language throughout.
RESEARCH
ACRC Researchers Present at ATS 2021: During the American Thoracic Society’s 2021 annual conference, several researchers from our Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network had a chance to showcase their recent scientific findings. One such study led by Anne Dixon, M.D., at University of Vermont examined the relationship between lung disease and mental health, particularly as it affects Black American asthma patients. Read more about our involvement in this conference and our ACRC research.
Spotlight on Published Research: A member of our Research Team, Christoph Grundner, Ph.D., at Seattle Children’s Hospital was recently published in bioRxiv, a pre-print biology journal. The paper, titled “An Alternative, Cas12a-based CRISPR Interference System for Mycobacteria,” details an RNA-guided alternative to CRSPR, a gene editing tool, which has the potential to uniquely sequence genetic interactions like Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Dr. Grundner was a recipient of the Lung Association’s 2019-2020 Innovation Award for his project, “Developing a Unique Dual-Action Compound to Treat Drug-Resistant TB.”
ADVOCACY
Tell Administration to Remove Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars from the Marketplace: The Biden administration has announced it would propose two rules to remove menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from the marketplace. We applaud this action because ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and most flavored cigars will save millions of lives, reduce health disparities and prevent kids from beginning tobacco addiction. You can help by telling President Biden to act quickly to remove menthol cigarettes.
Show Your Support for Cleaner Cars: Gasoline and diesel-powered cars and trucks contribute to air pollution and drive climate change. Please join us in calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take a key step toward ensuring cleaner cars. We have two action opportunities: If you’re a health, medical or nursing professional, please sign this letter. If you’re not a health professional but still want to show your support for cleaner cars, please sign this petition. We aim to recruit signers from every state so that EPA receives the message loud and clear. The deadline to sign on to these letters is June 30.
Tell Congress to Invest in a Healthier Future: We need your help to call on your members of Congress to invest in a healthier future. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lung Association has advocated to Congress and the Administration for policies to protect and improve lung health in the face of unprecedented challenges. The laws and regulations enacted over the past several months have gone a long way toward addressing the impacts of the pandemic, but there is still much to do to rebuild communities. Congress is working on investment legislation now, and we need your help to ensure they promote lung health by ensuring everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. This is an opportunity to invest in a healthier future that Congress—and the nation—cannot afford to miss. Take action today and learn more on our blog.
EPA Takes Dangerous ‘Censoring Science’ Rule off the Books: We are excited that on May 26, EPA officially vacated the previous administration’s dangerous “Censoring Science” rule. This means that this rule, which would have limited the science the agency can use when making decisions, is no longer law. This is a victory the Lung Association and our volunteers fought hard for and we applauded it in this statement.
EACH BREATH BLOG
To wrap up Asthma Awareness Month in May, we spoke with asthma experts Cindy Fiske and Aliciee Griffith about our most pressing asthma questions for our blog “Understanding, Managing and Living with Asthma.”
Your support makes everything we do possible!
Lung diseases don’t take the summer off! While helping America through the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Lung Association is also hard at work addressing lung cancer, asthma, COPD and so much more. It’s your support that makes our diverse and lifesaving work possible. During this health crisis, your support is more important than ever because When You Can’t Breathe, Nothing Else Matters®
Blog last updated: August 21, 2023
