Top News
Stay up-to-date on the COVID-19 vaccine through our new COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker that features our science-based resources, physician perspectives and answers to common questions about vaccine safety in general and the COVID-19 vaccine specifically. And learn more about vaccines, disparities in healthcare and much more through our expert-led COVID-19 Town Hall Series. Join us for our next Town Hall on Wednesday, January 6 at 2 p.m. ET as an expert panel of physicians and patients discuss the challenges of living with a chronic lung disease during the pandemic and offer up steps to maintain your lung and overall health. Register here. Find the latest at Lung.org/covid19. Be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram social channels and share these timely resources to your network.
Lungcast™: Join us for our latest Lungcast, our exclusive podcast presented with HCPLive, that it spotlights conversations with researchers, physicians, patients and advocates about hot topics impacting lung health. Guests have included prominent medical experts Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. David Ho, and more. Our latest episode is COPD Check-in with Dr. MeiLan Han.
Get Your Flu Shot Now! Don’t let COVID-19 team up with the flu to create a “twindemic.” Now, it’s more important than ever to get your flu shot! Contracting influenza (flu) could increase your risk of serious complications from COVID-19. Hear from a critical care nurse why getting immunized or the flu is so important this year.
Support the Lung Association
Support Us at this Critical Time: At a time when our lungs are at extreme risk, your support is more important than ever! Your participation in a Lung Association fundraising event is critical so that we can continue our lifesaving work. Check out our list of events, as we keep safety as our number one priority.
There’s Still Time to Order Our 2021 Fight For Air Climb Firefighter Calendar: Every year, thousands of firefighters from across the country participate in our Fight For Air Climb, to raise awareness and funds to support our vision of a world free of lung disease. Our inaugural 2021 Fight For Air Climb Firefighter Calendar celebrates these firefighters and our mission to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease! Order your calendar today and learn more at Lung.org/calendar.
LUNG CANCER
Lung Cancer Awareness Month Recap
Making an Impact during Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Throughout November and Lung Cancer Awareness Month, our LUNG FORCE initiative united women and their loved ones across the country to stand together against lung cancer, the #1 cancer killer of women and men in the U.S. On November 10, our first-ever Lung Cancer Patient Virtual Meetup enabled patients and caregivers to learn more about lung cancer through an innovative new platform. On November 17, the 3rd annual “State of Lung Cancer Report” report was issued. For the first time, this year’s report examined the lung cancer burden among racial and ethnic minority groups at the national and state levels. News of the report was featured in outlets including NBC National News Network, Reuters, Associated Press and STAT News. Get involved with LUNG FORCE to help us in our efforts to defeat lung cancer throughout the year.
Learn About Radon – the Second Leading Cause of Lung Cancer: Our new Radon Basics course is a free one-hour interactive online learning program designed to help people understand more about the dangers of radon, a radioactive gas commonly found indoors, and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Learn more at Lung.org/Radon-Basics.
LUNG FORCE Hero: The support of our LUNG FORCE Heroes is a true inspiration! From LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day, to Walks and Stair Climbs, storytelling and more, their impact is priceless. In this blog, lung cancer survivor Nancy O’Neil shares the inspirational story of why she faithfully donates to the American Lung Association.
RESEARCH
Latest Published Research: A member of our Research Team, Valerie Press, M.D., MPH, at The University of Chicago was recently published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. The paper, titled “Mask Use with Spacers/Valved Holding Chambers and Metered Dose Inhalers among Children with Asthma,” outlines the need for observational studies and clinical trials to evaluate routine use of masks with inhalers and spacers for the pediatric population.
Asthma
Asthma Webcast Series – Getting Familiar with Asthma: In November, we hosted the first in a series of three webcasts about asthma. These live webcasts are patient-focused and feature clinical presentations as well as a patient perspective. During this first presentation, we shared information about COVID-19 and asthma management as well as important resources patients can use to learn more about asthma and have important discussions with their healthcare provider. You can view the recorded version of this presentation. Save The Date: The next webcast in this series is scheduled for January 19 from 2-3 p.m. CST. Visit lung.org/asthma for more information.
EGPA
New EGPA Resources: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare form of vasculitis, meaning it causes inflammation in small and medium sized blood vessels. In most patients, blood vessels in the lungs are affected, causing breathing and lung issues. To raise awareness of this ultra-rare lung disease, we created new web pages, captured a patient story in a blog, developed a one page handout and created a new educational video “Understanding EGPA”. Learn more about EGPA at Lung.org/EGPA. Development of this content is supported through an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.
HEALTHY AIR
Lung Association Board Member Delivers Keynote at Climate and Health Symposium: The Lung Association was honored to have Dr. Sumita Khatri deliver a keynote address at the “Empower Capable Climate Communicators” Symposium hosted by the CLEO Institute and the University of Miami’s Medical School on November 19. Dr. Khatri is the Vice Chair of our National Board of Directors and Mission Programs, and Director of the Asthma Center, Cleveland Clinic. In her keynote remarks, Dr. Khatri covered our “State of the Air” report, the connections between air quality and climate change and the many Lung Association resources that individuals and organizations can use to help protect clean air. Over 570 individuals registered for the event. The symposium recording can be accessed on The CLEO Institute's YouTube page.
Protecting Healthy Air Rules: As the year and current administration come to a close, there are a number of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution rules our advocacy team have been engadged in and are closely monitoring. These include the new ozone and particulate matter standards, the cost-benefit rule, and the “censoring science rule.” All could have a serious impact on the quality of the air we breathe.
Lancet Releases International Climate and Health Report: The Lancet Countdown 2020 Report has officially launched. The COVID-19 pandemic factored heavily into messaging around the global report and it calls to align the global recovery from the pandemic with action on climate change. The U.S Brief highlights how climate change and air pollution both have the same root cause – the burning of fossil fuels. If we take action to reduce the contributions to climate change, we can, at the same time, provide immediate health benefits to the public in the form of cleaner air. The report serves as a useful tool to make the case to policy makers and leaders that the time is now to act on air pollution and climate. The American Lung Association was proud to be a partner throughout the planning of the U.S. Brief.
EACH BREATH BLOG
There is a lot of misunderstanding around the term palliative care. We talked with Anna K. Saulitis, a licensed clinical social worker at Rush University Medical Center, in hopes of clearing things up. Learn more in our latest blog “Understanding Palliative Care: It’s Not What You Think.”
Thanks for your support this year!
2020 has been a year like no other. COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of our lives and made the lifesaving mission of the American Lung Association more important than ever. As the year comes to a close and we look to a safer, healthier future, we want to THANK YOU for your support throughout this most challenging time. Because of your support, we are conducting research to discover new ways to prevent, treat and even cure lung diseases like COVID-19, and helping people continue to stay safe and healthy. As we approach the new year, we want to THANK YOU for all you do, and promise that, with your help, we will continue to be your champion for lung health.
Blog last updated: August 29, 2023
