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New Program Offers Critical Resources to the 34 million Americans Living with Lung Disease

American Lung Association launches Patient & Caregiver Network to provide support, education and access to research for people with lung disease and their families

CHICAGO | January 30, 2023

More than 34 million Americans live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer and other lung diseases. To provide these individuals and their families with critical support, education and access to emerging research like clinical trials, today, the American Lung Association announced the Patient & Caregiver Network.

“Many lung diseases like COPD and asthma are life-long journeys. A diagnosis can be scary and lung diseases are often very isolating. Fortunately, new research is resulting in better treatments so that people with lung disease are living longer, healthier lives,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Our new Patient & Caregiver Network is the go-to resource for anyone living with a lung disease and their families.”

“For someone living with COPD or any lung disease, it is critical to advocate for yourself and connect with others to learn how to live better with this disease,” said Midge Wilson, who is living with COPD and an active member of the American Lung Association’s COPD Patient Advisory Group. “Knowledge is power, and the Patient & Caregiver Network provides you with that knowledge.”

The Patient & Caregiver Network, formerly known as the Better Breathers Network, provides people living with lung disease and their caregivers who join (members) with three critical areas of information to help them live better with lung disease:
  1. Support: By joining the Patient & Caregiver Network, members can connect with peers who are going through the same challenges through 11 online support communities hosted on Inspire.com covering a wide range of topics from lung cancer to asthma, COPD, long COVID, pulmonary fibrosis and more. Members can also attend in-person Better Breathers Clubs across the country. 
  2. Education: Through the network, members regularly receive information and resources through e-newsletters, invitations to live and on-demand webcasts, and access to member resources like breathing exercise videos, nutrition tips, medication device demonstrations and more at Lung.org/PCN-Resource-Center.
  3. Research: The Patient & Caregiver Network provides access to cutting-edge research on lung disease, such as information on clinical trials through the Lung Association’s website, connection to research studies being conducted at the Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) and simplified versions of new research studies at Lung.org/Research-News.
The Patient & Caregiver Network is possible thanks to support from our national sponsors, Inspire and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  

To join The Patient & Caregiver Network, visit Lung.org/PCN. 

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About the American Lung Association

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at Lung.org/events.

For more information, contact:

Jill Dale
312-940-7001
[email protected]

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