November 2024

Expanding Our Impact to Address COPD

MARC MY WORDS: Thoughts from Breathe SoCal's President & CEO

November is a big month in the lung health community. First, November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, where we seek to raise awareness and promote screening for the third most common form of cancer, and unfortunately, the cancer that more Americans die from each year.  

November is also National COPD Awareness Month, which highlights chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., and the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. 

At Breathe Southern California we are always exploring new pathways to expand our impact and further our mission regarding healthy lungs, so it is exciting to share that we are now a member of the newly established @COPD Action Alliance, a national coalition of organizations committed to uniting stakeholders to advance awareness and patient-centered policies for those affected by COPD at both state and federal level.  

By joining forces, we aim to advocate for meaningful change, amplify our impact, and promote greater awareness of COPD, not just via lung and health organizations but with various communities like veterans and other groups whose members suffer from chronic lung disease.

There really is power in numbers and the more groups that unite and advocate the greater the snowball effect to support change.

Together, with the action alliance and its other members, we're committed to increasing attention to this disease, promoting more research, heightening public awareness, and advocating for patient-centered policy changes.

While there are an estimated 30 million Americans affected by COPD, only about half of them have been diagnosed.  So, a challenge as substantial and devastating as COPD needs solutions equally as large.  The earlier COPD is detected and diagnosed the more can be done to provide patients with a better quality of life, and a longer life.    

Advocacy efforts like our participation with the COPD Action Alliance, is just one way we pursue our mission.  We are also conducting and supporting research on lung health and air quality issues, providing support programs to patients with lung disease, educating kids, adults and seniors across Southern California about lung disease, clean air, and sustainability, and working to promote the adoption of zero-emission technologies and energy solutions that will ultimately eliminate air pollution in our region.       

Your support of Breathe SoCal is truly appreciated, as it helps us make a difference for those suffering from lung disease or breathing poor air.   

I hope this holiday season, you and yours stay warm, healthy, and happy.   

In Health,

Marc Carrel

President & CEO

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

When it comes to helping our children's health and safety we consider this a win!! Proposition 2, the $10 billion school bond, will help make significant investments to modernize schools across the state and will help repair, upgrade, and construct school facilities throughout the state, prioritizing improvements involving health and safety for students and staff.  

Proposition 4, will invest $10 billion for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparedness, and clean air. Fifteen percent of the bond funds ($1.5 billion) going directed specifically to wildfire prevention, which would significantly improve California’s air quality.  Breathe So Cal celebrates this much needed attention to our schools, children and the overall health of our California community.

Make sure to connect!