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Association Convenes Experts to Focus on Solutions
As baby boomers age, the number of people with emphysema and COPD(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is expected to rise dramatically in the next 15 years, putting a serious burden on them, their caregivers and our healthcare system.The American Lung Association of California recently held a COPD Summit to form a coalition and begin developing a statewide Strategic Plan for addressing this growing health issue.
Held at the Center for Healthier Communities in Los Angeles, the Summit brought together key stakeholders, including health experts, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, researchers and community and professional organizations.
“When you get the right people in the room – the people who understand the issues from the inside out – you can make tremendous progress in a short amount of time,” says Lynn Devine, vice president, programs, for the American Lung Association of California.
COPD, which includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and bronchiecstasis, is a leading cause of death and disability in California. Symptoms include chronic cough and shortness of breath.The disease can make even routine tasks difficult and seriously impact quality of life.
But COPD can be controlled, and its progression slowed, through proper management, which includes exercise and medications.
While it is estimated that 1.6 million Californians have COPD, too many cases go undiagnosed to have a real measure of COPD’s impact on California, according to Devine. A goal of the plan is to assess the scope of COPD in California.
‘COPD Comes on Slow’
“The problem is COPD comes on slow, so you don’t realize it’s a problem until you can’t breathe,” says Don Perry, who has lived with COPD for more than 20 years. He volunteers for the American Lung Association of California in Santa Maria and is a member of its Better Breathers Club for people with COPD. “So many people who have early signs of the disease could be working now to slow the progression if they only knew they had it.”
Raising awareness is a key priority for the COPD Coalition. “Like any other chronic disease, COPD needs to be managed to reduce the burden on both the person who has it and the health system,” says Devine. “Because COPD is largely caused by smoking, there has been a lot of shame involved and people don’t want to talk about the disease. But we have to bring it out into the open to get it under control.”
The association has been helping people with COPD through education and support programs for decades and has invested millions of dollars in research to better understand the underlying mechanisms of this disease. “The American Lung Association of California is well-positioned to convene the experts and develop a plan that will help reduce the burden of COPD in California,” says Devine.
