Network in Motion

From generating media attention, hosting screening events, and convening COPD coalitions to disseminating materials and even driving traffic to the Campaign website — the Breathe Better Network is engaged, active, and working hard to spread the word about COPD.

Featured Network Activities

Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago
The Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago continues to be a strong COPD advocate across Chicagoland, IL and the U.S. Respiratory Health Association has a number of initiatives to get the word out about lung health, including Catch Your Breath®, a women-focused initiative dedicated to raising awareness and funds for lung disease research and programs.

Each September, Respiratory Health Association hosts the Catch Your Breath Educational Conference to provide women and their families the opportunity to engage with medical and business professionals to explore key issues in lung disease. This year, participants will be armed not only with the basics of COPD, but also will learn about research progress, therapies for various stages of the disease, co-morbidities, and other related issues.

This year's conference will be Tuesday, September 11 in Oak Brook, IL. Learn more or register for the conference on Respiratory Health Association's website, by following this link: http://www.lungchicago.org/catch-your-breath-conference/.

North Carolina COPD Taskforce
The North Carolina COPD Taskforce is the leading organization on COPD in North Carolina. At the forefront of helping to drive North Carolina's COPD research and fact finding efforts, earlier this year, the Taskforce was highlighted in The Journal of the American Medical Association and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for utilizing the CDC's annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to gather data on the prevalence of COPD in North Carolina.

Data from the 2007 and 2009 BRFSS surveys served as the Taskforce's baseline for executing COPD outreach within North Carolina, enabling it to focus on areas within the state most impacted by COPD. As part of a subcontract with the COPD Learn More Breathe Better^® campaign the Taskforce worked with state Free Clinic Associations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. BRFSS data was vital in selecting the North Carolina sites. Having analyzed and implemented programs based on this data, the Taskforce is a role model for other Network members wishing to capitalize on COPD-related BRFSS data for their state. The Taskforce is currently working with the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control to use the 2012 South Carolina BRFSS data to define the COPD population in the state.

Want to see your organization’s efforts featured on the Network in Motion page? Visit “How Can I Get Involved” to learn more. Then, drop us a line and let us know about your COPD awareness success story! Already a campaign partner? Send us an update on your organization’s recent activities.

Click here for a complete list of Breathe Better Network® Members.