Back to Breath Matters
Breath Matters
The American Lung Association of California’s Monthly e-Newsletter
Improving Life, One Breath at a Time
To automatically connect with your nearest American Lung Association, or to speak with a nurse or respiratory therapist at our free HelpLine, call 800.LUNG.USA (800.586.4872).
August 31, 2004 Number 115
Content:
Be an e-Advocate!
You can help fight Big Tobacco, Air Pollution and the Asthma Epidemic by joining our e-Advocacy Network and visiting: http://lungaction.org/AM_LUNG_CA/home.html
ASSOCIATION FUNDS 19 RESEARCHERS AT 10 INSTITUTIONS
The American Lung Association of California recently funded 19 researchers in California who are hoping to make important discoveries that could someday lead to better treatments and possibly even a cure.
The association awarded $732,000 through its peer-reviewed scientific research program, including two Pulmonary Nurse Scholarships. Every year the American Lung Association of California reviews applications from researchers and nursing students across the state and grants up to $50,000 to research projects that meet its guidelines and up to $6,000 to master's level nursing students who are pursuing careers in pulmonary care. The association primarily funds basic research, which forms the building blocks for future discoveries.
For more details about the research program and funded projects, visit http://californialung.org/press/040803ResearchFunding.html.
IN-HOME PROGRAM HELPS FAMILIES MANAGE ASTHMA TOGETHER
The American Lung Association of Central California is working to help children with asthma and their families better manage the disease through in-home visits and other educational outreach efforts thanks to Together for Asthma Control, a three-year project funded by a grant from the First Five Fresno County Children and Families Commission.
The project reaches out to medical professionals and parents who provide services and care for children ages 5 and under. The goal is to provide an extensive network of services to parents and caretakers through provider education, community awareness, clinical case management services and home environmental evaluation, education and remediation.
For more information, contact Michelle Garcia at 559.222.4800 or mgarcia [at] amerilungcencal [dot] org.
CAMPAIGN URGES FORD TO KEEP NATURAL GAS VEHICLES IN U.S.
The American Lung Association of California has joined with environmental groups in urging Ford Motor Company to reverse its recent decision to discontinue the production and sales of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in the United States. The association signed on to a letter to the company in April and recently participated in an ad that includes an open letter to Ford calling on the company to act as the "environmentally friendly" corporation it claims to be and reassume its leadership in the NGV market.
What is most troubling about Ford's decision is that it plans to unveil its next generation NGV in Europe for the 2006 model year. The ad reminds Ford that it received significant public funds to develop NGVs here in the United States because of the societal benefits, including a better environment, diverse energy supply and healthier air.
For more information, contact Bonnie Holmes-Gen at 916.442.4446 or bhgen [at] alac [dot] org or Andy Weisser at 818.703.6444 or aweisser [at] earthlink [dot] net.
GOVERNOR APPOINTS CLEAN AIR VOLUNTEER TO AIR BOARD
A longtime volunteer for the American Lung Association of California and a member of its Clean Air Technical Advisory Group was recently appointed to the California Air Resources Board by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Henry Gong, MD, is a physician at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center where he is chief of the Environmental Health Service and medical director of Respiratory Care Services. He serves as a professor of medicine and preventative medicine at the University of Southern California. He was the recipient of the American Lung Association of California's 2000 Clean Air Award and the Coalition for Clean Air's 2001 Carl Moyer Award.
For more information, contact Bonnie Holmes-Gen at 916.442.4446 or bhgen [at] alac [dot] org.
THUMBS UP! THUMBS DOWN! ISSUES ANNUAL REPORT CARD
The American Lung Association of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails' Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! project issued its annual report card on tobacco use in the movies. The 2004 report card reflects 141 movies reviewed from June 1, 2003, through May 31, 2004, and details how Hollywood is still insisting on using cigarettes as a prop to display fun, sexy, cool, edgy and rebellious messages, according to the youth reviewers. Of those movies reviewed, 56 percent contained pro-tobacco messages.
To view the complete report, visit http://www.saclung.org and click on 2004 Report Card.
For more information, contact Shelley Mitchell at 916.444.5864 or smitchell [at] saclung [dot] org.
FIRST ANNUAL TOBACCO VICTIMS' MEMORIAL DAY SET FOR SACRAMENTO
The First Annual Tobacco Victims' Memorial Day will be held in Sacramento on September 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will include a walk around the State Capitol Building, a health fair, and memorial service for those who have lost loved ones to tobacco, those who are suffering due to tobacco addiction, and their loved ones.
The memorial is scheduled from 12 to 1 p.m. and will feature a variety of speakers including Dian Kiser of BREATH, the American Lung Association of the East Bay's California Smoke-Free Bars, Workplaces and Communities Program; Debi Austin, the laryngectomy survivor who was featured in the state's anti-tobacco ads; and Sandy Sheedy, vice mayor of Sacramento. Chaplain Mindi Russell, who served at the Twin Towers in New York after 9/11, will conduct the service.
For more information, contact Laurie Comstock at 916.686.2043 or lauriscomstock [at] aol [dot] com. For more about Tobacco Survivors United, visit http://www.tobaccosurvivorsunited.org.
TELL A FRIENDForward this e-newsletter to friends, family and business contacts. Encourage them to subscribe for free at http://www.californialung.org. Signing up is easy. Just enter your e-mail address at the upper left corner of the Web site homepage below the logo.
Back to Breath Matters
