Latino COPD Outreach and Health Education Demonstration Project Secures Funding

BREATHE LA’s wealth of experience providing health education to diverse multicultural communities in Los Angeles County has been recognized with the award of grant funding of $77,400 from QueensCare.

BREATHE LA’s Latino COPD Outreach and Health Education Demonstration Project, Pulmones Libres / Breathe Free, will bring critical health education to Latino populations unaware of risk or of diagnosis of a progressive debilitating lung disease.

The goals of the Pulmones Libres / Breathe Free Latino COPD Outreach and Health Education Demonstration Project are multifold. The project will demonstrate that Latinos living in East L.A. and Pico Union –areas disproportionately populated with uninsured Latinos living below the poverty line—are impacted by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD. The project will also increase awareness and knowledge of COPD in these areas; increase knowledge of COPD for residents attending BREATHE LA Better Breathers COPD classes; and will provide referrals for COPD screening and treatment.

With BREATHE LA’s current partner social service agencies as well as tobacco prevention and asthma coalition networks, the project will recruit individuals for COPD classes scheduled to begin in late 2008. All outreach, awareness and educational communications and materials will be provided in Spanish.

BREATHE LA is deeply grateful to QueensCare Foundation for enabling us to undertake this much needed project. The Latino COPD Outreach and Health Education Demonstration Project, Pulmones Libres / Breathe Free will protect the Breathe of Life for neglected communities in Los Angeles.