Organization keys in on educating healthcare professionals
and people with asthma on how to navigate climate change and
excessive heat
CHICAGO, May 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Millions of people in the U.S. live with
asthma, which is a life-long chronic lung disease. While we have
proven asthma management techniques and treatments, people living
with asthma and their healthcare providers face increasing
challenges due to climate change and extreme heat. During Asthma
Awareness Month, the American Lung Association is working to
increase awareness and help people with asthma and healthcare
providers better manage asthma during times of excessive heat or
extreme weather.
"Thanks to decades of research into better asthma management
techniques and treatments, most people with asthma lead normal,
active and healthy lives. Unfortunately, climate change threatens
this progress. Climate change is resulting in extreme weather,
increased ozone pollution, increased allergens, more frequent and
intense wildfires, and more cases of excessive heat," said
Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of
the American Lung Association. "These events can make a person's
asthma more difficult to manage and even trigger asthma
attacks. The American Lung Association is working hard to
ensure that people with asthma and their healthcare providers are
prepared for these changes and can take the proper
precautions."
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that makes it harder to move
air in and out of your lungs. It can start at any age. More than 26
million Americans live with asthma, including 4.5 million children.
Extreme temperature, both heat and cold, is a trigger for
individuals with asthma. Excessive heat increases the risk of
asthma episodes, asthma-related hospitalizations and asthma-related
deaths. Children and women with asthma are especially at
risk. Hot, humid air can cause asthma symptoms such as
wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Heat can trigger
asthma symptoms because high temperatures and humidity cause air to
not move, trapping pollutants that can irritate the airways.
During Asthma Awareness Month in May, the American Lung
Association is working to help people with asthma and healthcare
providers better manage their asthma during times of excessive heat
or extreme weather by:
- Helping healthcare providers better treat asthma by
offering the Asthma Educator Institute, which is a professional
education course for frontline healthcare professionals eligible to
sit for the national asthma educator certification exam. The Lung
Association also provides a new, free one-hour online course
Asthma Management Guidelines: A Review for Healthcare
Professionals that is designed to help healthcare professionals
learn and apply guidelines-based asthma care.
- Educate people living with asthma with the free
Asthma Basics course and by offering resources at
Lung.org/asthma. This program was recently updated and is
provided in English and Spanish. The experts at the American Lung
Association's Lung Helpline (1-800-LUNGUSA) can also answer
questions and help people with asthma questions and navigating
insurance challenges and medication changes.
- Encourage people living with asthma or who care for
someone living with asthma to join the Patient & Caregiver
Network to get free support, education and connection to
others.
- Advocate for H.R. 5749, the Elijah E.
Cummings Family Asthma Act to expand the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC)'s National Asthma Control Program, which aims to
increase federal, state, and local efforts to address asthma in our
communities.
Learn more and support asthma research by donating to the
American Lung Association at Lung.org/donate.
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.
American Lung Association • 55 W. Wacker
Drive, Suite 1150 • Chicago, IL
60601
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North • Washington, D.C. 20004
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org
CONTACT: Jill Dale | American
Lung Association
P: 312-940-7001E: Jill.Dale@Lung.org
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SOURCE American Lung Association