TOP NEWS
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Lung Cancer Awareness Month is here! This annual observance is a crucial time for our organization in the effort to defeat lung cancer, the leading cancer killer. Throughout November, we are sharing new lung cancer resources, inspiring patient stories and lifesaving lung cancer screening information. Our Lung Health Barometer, launched on November 1, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 4,000 women and men about their awareness and understanding of lung cancer. See what it found.
On November 16, we will issue the 4th annual State of Lung Cancer report, which highlights how the toll of lung cancer varies by state and examines key indicators throughout the U.S. including: new cases, survival, early diagnosis, surgical treatment, lack of treatment and screening rates. The report will be available at Lung.org/SOLC on November 16.
Honoring resilience and leadership this Native American Heritage Month: November is the time to celebrate the important sacrifices, contributions and accomplishments of those who first inhabited what we now know as the United States. Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by many lung health issues and are also leading the way to implementing community-driven solutions. Visit our website to learn more about the history of Native American Heritage Month, Tribal-led efforts against threats from COVID-19 and commercial tobacco companies, the work of our Spotlight Series partners and more.
Healthcare Open Enrollment Is Now Open: Everyone needs quality and affordable healthcare. Open enrollment to sign up for healthcare coverage through Healthcare.gov runs through January 15 in most states. Healthcare.gov offers quality and affordable plans that cover important services like tobacco cessation treatment, lung cancer screening and COVID-19 vaccines at no cost. Please share our resources with coalition partners, all of which can be found at lung.org/openenrollment, and you can sign up at healthcare.gov to enroll in coverage.
Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from COVID-19: COVID-19 cases are surging in many parts of the country. The Lung Association has tools and information to help keep you safe!
- Guidance on Mask Wearing
- Our “Better for It” COVID-19 vaccine toolkits can help you make a well-informed decision about COVID-19 vaccination.
- COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs
- COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker has information to help you stay informed about the safety and availability of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Please GIVE to the COVID-19 Action Fund so we can help end COVID-19 and defend against future respiratory viruses.
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.
Listen to Lungcast™: Dr. Marilyn Glassberg at University of Arizona is in the studio for our newest Lungcast™ episode breaking down the nuanced diagnosis and treatment of interstitial lung disease, including pulmonary fibrosis. From the utility of biomarkers and biopsies to the controversy of stem cell therapy, Dr. Glassberg’s conversation with our chief medical officer Dr. Al Rizzo is another must-listen in our ongoing lung health podcast series. Tune into the interview at: Lung.org/lungcast.
SUPPORT THE LUNG ASSOCIATION
Join an Event and Support the Lung Association! Fall events are in full force and winter events are just around the corner. Both offer a great opportunity to support the Lung Association’s lifesaving mission! Our events follow CDC COVID-19 safety guidelines, while offering the experience you know and love. Get involved today by raising funds in your community. We know you'll find an event to enjoy near you. Register today.
You Can Make a Difference with a Vehicle Donation: Vehicle donations to the Lung Association have the potential to bring significant funds to important research, education and advocacy that can help save lives. We accept cars, trucks, motorcycles trailers, boats and more! Our Vehicle Donation Program makes this tax-deductible donation easy with free pick-up and support.
2022 Firefighter Calendar available now! Order your 2022 Firefighter Calendar today! Available while supplies last, the calendar honors firefighters that competed in their local Fight For Air Climbs to raise funds to support our vision of a world free of lung disease. The calendar features top firefighting fundraisers, fire-safety tips, stats on how fires affect our lung health and more.
PATIENT SUPPORT
Improve your School's Indoor Air Quality: Research has shown poor indoor air quality can be detrimental to student performance and attendance. Our new Indoor Air Quality in Schools Guide provides a useful overview of indoor air quality, tools that schools can use to improve air quality and offers guidance for navigating CARES/CRSSA funding. Download the full guide to learn more.
Controlling Childhood Asthma: The Lung Association is sharing information about six effective strategies to control childhood asthma. Read more about the programs and services that we offer and download the CDC’s Guide for People with Asthma, Their Families, and Their Caregivers. Visit Lung.org/afe.
Long COVID Support Community: We are pleased to announce the launch of a new online community called Living with Long COVID. This community will allow those facing long COVID and their loved ones to connect with other people in their shoes for peer-to-peer support. It joins our ten other online support communities, with the full list available at www.lung.org/community. One key benefit of this community is it allows users to remain anonymous, while still benefiting from much needed social support. If you or someone you know is facing long COVID or has questions about it, please encourage them to join the Living with Long COVID community, hosted on the Inspire platform.
LUNG CANCER
Minimally Invasive Surgery for Lung Cancer: This Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we are raising awareness about minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer. Many people aren’t aware of the progress that has been made in lung cancer surgery and that it can often be done using small incisions. One type of minimally invasive surgery is called robotic-assisted thoracic surgery, which involves a thoracic surgeon sitting at a console next to the patient in the operating room and controlling the instruments, including a camera, on the robotic surgical system. You can learn more about lung cancer surgery through our new assets:
- New! Robotic-assisted Thoracic Surgery Play by Play Blog
- New! Robotic-assisted Surgery page on Lung.org
- New! Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery page on Lung.org
- Coming soon…a new video about robotic-assisted thoracic surgery
Support for this program made possible by Intuitive.
LUNG FORCE HERO: Mike S, from South Carolina shares his lung cancer journey with us. He’s a 5-year lung cancer survivor and says, “I believe in patient advocacy, leading an active life, promoting physical exercise and helping others learn through my journey.”
Virtual LUNG FORCE Expo: Our next nationwide virtual LUNG FORCE Expo will take place on Wednesday, December 8 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. CT. The event is designed for healthcare professionals to learn more about the latest trends, resources and research surrounding lung health. New this year, our virtual LUNG FORCE Expo will focus exclusively on lung cancer topics. Please share this information with anyone who might be interested in attending. For details, visit the event page.
RESEARCH
Increased Research Investment: The Lung Association is proud to announce that we are investing an additional $12.6 million to accelerate lung health research for 2021-2022! “With these new research projects, we empower some of the best scientists to fundamentally change how lung diseases, including lung cancer, impact our lives,” said our National President and CEO Harold Wimmer. Meet the scientists helping to make a difference: Lung.org/research-team
ADVOCACY
Legislation to Invest in a Healthier Future: The Lung Association continues to champion legislation in Congress that would make lifesaving investments in lung health. On October 28, the White House announced a framework agreement for a key investment bill, the Build Back Better Act. While some policies are still being negotiated, the bill currently includes:
- Big Wins on Climate: It includes historic investments in the fight against climate change including expansions of clean energy tax credits, investments in electric transportation and commitments to right environmental injustices.
- Important Steps Forward on Healthcare: Residents of the 12 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid will finally get access to care. Enhanced premium tax credits to make healthcare.gov more affordable for many low-income Americans were also extended. The Children’s Health Insurance Program would be made permanent and provisions to ensure vaccine coverage for all Medicaid recipients is also included.
- A tax on E-Cigarettes: After not being included in the initial framework, leaders in Congress added a tax on e-cigarette products. Presently, e-cigarettes are the only tobacco product not taxed by the federal government, and this provision would close an important loophole.
Please take a moment to retweet or like our tweet thread expressing support for the bill. While it’s not perfect, the Lung Association sees the lung health provisions in the package as an important win for lung health. We will continue to push for additional lung health provisions until the Build Back Better Act crosses the finish line, and we invite you to join us! We have our Leading for Lungs action alert and the tobacco tax action alert for you to use and share.
Health Professionals Call for Investments in Zero-Emission School Buses: On October 26, the Lung Association sent a letter from over 500 health professionals to Congress, calling on members to invest in zero-emission electric school buses. Diesel exhaust is a serious threat to lung health, especially for the millions of children riding school buses every day. Transitioning to zero-emission school buses will ensure healthier air for children and communities across the country.
New Action on Ozone Pollution: On October 28, EPA shared its decision to reconsider the inadequate ozone standard that the previous administration pushed through in the waning days of the Trump presidency. The Lung Association together with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association sued EPA over the weak standard and urged the agency to do a reconsideration. The three partner organizations released a statement welcoming the announcement.
New Proposal Would Cut Methane Pollution: Methane pollution from the oil and gas sector is rapidly accelerating the pace of climate change, and toxic air pollution from this industry is harming people’s health — especially those living near oil and gas operations. On November 2, EPA released a proposed rule to cut methane and other harmful pollutants from new and existing oil and gas operations. For more, see statement here.
EACH BREATH BLOG
Flu Shot and COVID-19 Vaccine: Do I need both? As flu season sets in, there are a lot of questions surrounding how the flu shot may interact with the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more.
Giving Thanks!
November is a time for giving thanks, and we are eternally thankful for supporters like you! Because of your donations, our diverse and lifesaving work possible. As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to thank you for all you do to help during this most critical time!
Blog last updated: August 25, 2023
