World COPD Awareness Day - November 17

This is the second year that we are hosting this event as a Webinar and connecting to many of the communities where we work, such as Harbor UCLA Biomedical Center, as well as directly through the computers of a wide range of health professionals.

BREATHE LA addresses the mission of World COPD Day on a daily basis by doggedly pursuing our mission of promoting clean air and healthy lungs through research, education and technology.

BREATHE LA has a long history of supporting innovations in COPD research and of implementing COPD education programs in diverse communities, as well as providing continuing education in medical professional communities throughout Los Angeles.

As participants know, COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases, encompassing emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory asthma, and related illnesses.

WORLD COPD AWARENESS DAY Speaker Highlights (copies of most presentations included below)

• Assembly Member Mike Feuer addressed the need for greater advocacy at local and state levels to better ensure health care support for individuals that suffer from COPD until a cure can be found.
• Dr. Paul Simon, LA County Department of Health, addressed the latest data about the high prevalence of COPD in Los Angeles and the need for more collaboration between public health, medical and nonprofit organizations to address the lack of awareness in the community.
• Dr. Thomas Storer presented on new research findings about the impact of specific fitness techniques to improve the quality of life for COPD patients.
• Dr. Brenda DeCosta, West Coast University, shared about the active role that nurses must play in helping to determine signs of COPD that will lead to improved diagnosis at earlier stages of the disease.
• Claudia Medina, BREATHE LA Health Educator highlighted the success of collaborative efforts in the community to reach more than 1,000 people recently through workshops, health fairs, and Better Breathers Clubs(TM)
• Dr. Guy Soo Hoo held a live presentation over Skype with a COPD patient through a new program called E-BREATHE as an example of how doctors can better utilize web technology to treat patients with lower mobility as well as how using the technology can help lessen emergency care needs.

BREATHE LA funds innovative research in COPD and translates findings to Better Breathers ClubTM workshops. This conference is funded in part by Astra Zeneca.

Symptoms of COPD: breathlessness, chronic coughing (with or without mucus), wheezing, tightness in chest, and frequent clearing of the throat. A chronic cough is not a natural part of aging nor is being short of breath.

Important Statistics:

• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimates that 12 million adults have COPD and another 12 million are undiagnosed or developing COPD.

• COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the US, accounting for 127,000 deaths in 2005.

• COPD kills more women than men each year. The rate of women dying from the disease has been steadily climbing over the decades reflecting the expansion of smoking among women in the mid-twentieth century.

• COPD will be the third leading cause of death in the US by 2020.

• A person with COPD dies every four minutes in the US.

• COPD cost the US economy $42.6 billion, in direct and indirect costs in 2007.

• It is estimated that over 600 million people worldwide have COPD.

• COPD is relatively easy to diagnose using a spirometry machine, where the patient exhales as much as possible into a tube.

BREATHE LA is a non-profit, public benefit organization that promotes clean air and healthy lungs through research, education and technology. Your air. Your life. Our passion. For more information, contact Claudia Medina or call (323) 935-8050 x237.