Tobacco Control

We take pride in knowing that because of our advocacy work, millions of families, children and students are enjoying fresher air this year. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of calls our Illinois Tobacco Quitline/Lung HelpLine handled or the innovative cessation programs we kicked-off over the last 12 months.

Effective Advocacy

• The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing areas controlled by the District to be smokefree. The policy was effective immediately.
• The Illinois State Legislature and Governor Pat Quinn passed and signed the Smoke Free Campus Act which went into effect on July 1, 2015.
• The Indianapolis Housing Agency properties went smokefree as of January 1, 2015, which includes more than a dozen apartment complexes.
• Kansas passed a $.50 tobacco tax increase, effective July 1, 2015.
• In Minnesota, smoking is now prohibited in home daycare settings at any time.
• The City of Branson, Mo. passed a comprehensive smokefree policy. Branson is seated in Taney County, which has the second highest smoking rate in Missouri.
• The Lung Association in Wisconsin is offering grants to assist colleges on tobacco-free campus initiatives

Supporting Quitters

• Our Lung HelpLine and Illinois Tobacco Quitline officially handled more than 135,000 calls in FY15.
• The Lung Association in Missouri has multiple smoking cessation efforts, including:
  • A partnership with a St. Louis jail and medium security women’s prison to offer smoking cessation for pregnant women and teens through May, 2016.
  • A smoking relapse-prevention text program, which provides motivational, supportive, and informational via text messages in the third trimester.
  • $20,000 from the Express Scripts Foundation to support the Not on Tobacco program and Freedom From Smoking for St. Louis youth and their parents.

Leslie Seei, a 40 year smoker who reached one year of being tobacco free, is just one of the hundreds of thousands of callers that the Illinois Tobacco Quitline/Lung HelpLine supported in the quitting process. Our Lung HelpLine and Illinois Tobacco Quitline handled more than 135,000 calls in FY15.

• The City of Wauwatosa in Wisconsin denied a license to a proposed vape shop that wanted to open in a neighborhood near an elementary school and middle school.
• The City of Greenfield, also in Wisconsin, passed an ordinance that prohibits e-cigarette use in schools, municipal buildings and public and private workplaces. The ordinance also prohibits sales to and possession by minors.
• The Lung Association in Minnesota helped pass policies limiting the use of e-cigarettes in all places where smoking is not allowed in several cities, including Bloomington (home of the Mega-mall), Minneapolis, Olmsted County (home of the Mayo Clinic), Sleepy Eye, Moorhead, and Savage.

Clean Air

Almost half of the nation’s population lives in communities with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Through our Clean Air Choice^® and Woodstove Exchange programs, we continue improving air quality for everyone. In addition, we protected thousands of families from the second leading cause of lung cancer—radon.

Advancing Clean Alternatives for Drivers

• The Lung Association in Minnesota helped a group of electric vehicle owners in the Twin Cities set a new world record for charging vehicles during a 24-hour period, featuring 85 separate charging sessions.
• The Upper Midwest added 85 clean fuel sites in Illinois and Minnesota this year.
• Minnesota staff held two first responder trainings in the Twin Cities and Duluth as part of the Advancing Alternatives for Minnesota Drivers grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The workshops encourage the growth of fuels and technologies that can significantly reduce air pollution and its associated health risks, by training first responders on how to safely respond to crashes involving alternative fuel vehicles.
• Minnesota administered a scholarship program that promotes cleaner fuels. The Clean Air Choice Biodiesel Essay Scholarship, sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, is open to high school seniors in Minnesota.

Clean Air Program: Improving Indoor & Outdoor Air

• The Clean Air Program takes a comprehensive approach towards reducing air pollution in outdoor and indoor environments.
• Our work on improving outdoor air quality through the Clean Air Choice^® program  promotes conservation, mass transit, engine improvements and other new technologies. Cleaner, renewable sources of energy and renewable fuels, like E85 and biodiesel, enhances combustion and reduces ozone and greenhouse gases.
• The Health House™ program  helps builders and consumers make new or existing homes healthier and more energy efficient by addressing radon, asbestos, mold, building products and other indoor issues.
• Specifically, the Radon Excellence program partners with builders to help them take the extra step to build all homes radon resistant and reduce the risk of radon-induced lung cancer – America’s second cause of lung cancer.

Reducing Pollution by Retiring Woodstoves

• In Illinois and Indiana, almost 500 woodstoves have been changed as part of a half-a-million dollar project to change out old, inefficient wood-burning stoves and appliances for EPA-approved appliances. The effort continues through March 2016.

Keeping Families Safe from Radon

• The Upper Midwest assisted 3,094 home owners test for radon and received the “2015 Excellence in Radon Award” at the 2015 Annual Radon Networking Meeting.

Healthy Lungs

Lung disease affects everyone. In fact, 34 million Americans live with chronic lung disease. That’s why the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest is proud of its efforts to help adults and children manage their disease to live longer, healthier lives. In addition to our programs, the Upper Midwest also committed $3 million to support cutting-edge lung disease research.

Camp Superkids Helps Kids be Kids

• More than 300 kids, ages 7 – 15, participated in the Camp Superkids program in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
• The camp allows children with asthma to enjoy a five- to six-night residential camp that includes sports activities and field trips while learning to better manage and control their disease.

United Health Foundation: Partners for Asthma Action

• Thousands of children with asthma in the Upper Midwest will benefit from a partnership between the United Health Foundation (UHF) and Lung Association of the Upper Midwest.
• Through the help of a $2 million grant from UHF, the Upper Midwest will implement Partners for Asthma Action, an intensive, integrated asthma improvement project in 180 clinics across the region.
• The initiative aims to improve the quality of life, school achievement, and life prospects of more than 180,000 low-income children living with asthma in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.

Health Care Service Corporation: Enhancing Asthma Care Project

• After the third project year, the initiative has helped improve pediatric asthma care in primary care clinics for over a quarter of a million children by training hundreds of health and medical professionals.
• Due to the overwhelming success, Health Care Service Corporation has granted an additional three years of funding, totaling $5 million.
• The National Institute for Health Care Management featured the initiative on their website via a two-page case study and highlights our work in IL, NM, OK, and TX.

Supporting Patients, Caregivers & Professionals

• More than 10,000 patients and caregivers received education and resources through several of our key programs, including LUNG FORCE Expos, Better Breathers Clubs, Freedom From Smoking, and Respiratory Rallies.
• Sangeeta M. Bhorade, MD, an Expert Pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine described the LUNG FORCE Expo best when she said, “This event truly shows the Lung Association’s fundraising dollars at work. It’s a vital resource in our community. It’s critical that medical professionals, patients and caregivers are up to date on the latest treatment strategies for lung disease.”
• The Upper Midwest held five LUNG FORCE Expos across the region.

Research

Almost 400,000 Americans die of lung disease every year, making it the third leading cause of death in the country. Lung disease is responsible for one in seven deaths in the U.S. and close to 34 million Americans are living with chronic lung disease. Research holds the promise of a better treatments and cures for people with lung disease and their loved ones. That’s why the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest is proud to have contributed $3 million to support cutting-edge lung disease research; almost twice as much as last year.

Meet our American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest Researchers

Airway Clinical Research Center Researchers

Illinois Consortium
Chicago, Illinois
PI: Lewis Smith, MD, Northwestern University
 

St. Vincent Health

Indianapolis, Indiana
PI: Michael Busk, MD
 

Washington University
PI: Mario Castro, MD
Washington University
 

University of Missouri

Kansas City School of Medicine
PI: Gary Salzman, MD
 

Basic, Clinical and Behavioral Researchers

Linda Resar, MD (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore) Dr. Resar will address the urgent need for more effective lung cancer treatments by developing an innovative therapy called Spiegelmers. The therapy will disrupt the growth of lung cancer cells and improve therapy for lung cancer patients.

Eric Collisson, MD (University of California, San Francisco) Dr. Collisson will use new therapies to attack lung cancer by examining cancer genes and their affect on the transformation of normal lung cells to cancer cells and the formation and progression of lung cancer.

E Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD (Stanford University, Stanford) Dr. Sweet-Cordero is studying the consequence of communication between normal cells and tumor cells in hopes of identifying novel therapy approaches for non-small cell lung cancer.

Patrick Belvitch, MD (University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago) Dr. Belvitch is studying blood vessels in the lung that leak in a person with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. By understanding how specific proteins regulate the formation of gaps between cells that lead to the leakage, he hopes to develop treatments for this condition.

Robert Dvorak, PhD (North Dakota State University) Dr. Dvorak is testing a novel cognitive retraining program on mobile devices to aid smokers in the quitting process. The application retrains behavioral responses to smoking images in an attempt to modify brain circuits that control basic impulses to smoke.

Kristin Griffiths, PhD (Washington University) Dr. Griffiths will investigate the idea that cytokine interleukin (IL)-17, known to help protect against tuberculosis (TB), is essential to the formation and maintenance of lymphoid structures in the lungs to keep bacteria contained.

Andrew Mehle, PhD (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Dr. Mehle will dissect the contributions of the influenza virus and the immune system during a hyperactive immune response which results in cell death. By differentiating between virally-inflicted and host-derived lung damage, he can lay the groundwork for therapeutic strategies to address hyperactive immune response.

Joseph Reynolds, PhD (Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago) Dr. Reynolds is studying the roll of specific proteins called cytokines in severe influenza infection. He will investigate whether these cytokines promote improved immune responses to influenza which can lead to new treatments for inflammation-based respiratory disorders.

Jennifer Wambach, MD (Washington University) Dr. Wambach is studying the surfactant protein-C gene region to identify genes that will help physicians predict who will develop lung disease and who will remain healthy. These genes may also be targets for new medications and important for other lung diseases.

Shuyu Yao, PhD, DVM (Indiana University) Dr. Yao will study the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the most prevalent pediatric pathogen for lower respiratory tract infection, for which no effective vaccines or treatments exist. This will result in significant insights on RSV pathogenesis, and will help develop therapeutic and preventative strategies.

Building Blocks

Through our signature events and the LUNG FORCE campaign, we continue our fight to end lung cancer by effectively raising funds, engaging volunteers, honoring loved ones and keeping memories alive. Our Fight for Air Climbs, LUNG FORCE Walks, bike rides, galas and golf outings, along with 22,000 participants across the region, helped raise almost $4 million. Funds that will go toward lung health research, clean air advocacy and education and services for those impacted by lung disease.

Fight for Air Climbs

• The Lung Association’s in Wisconsin and Chicago are the nation’s two most successful stair climbs, raising more than $1.2 million collectively.
• Six Upper Midwest climbs remain in the country’s top 10.

Jenny Kislow’s husband died three years ago from lung cancer. She kept his memory alive by participating in the Fight for Air Climb in Milwaukee on March 21, Tom’s birthday. She was one of thousands that climbed the US Bank Center that day.
 
 
 
 
Galas, Golf and Corporate Cup

• Indiana’s Evening of Promise Gala hosted 500 guests, featured more than a dozen sponsors, and raised more than $300,000.
• Nebraska’s Fight for Air Corporate Cup included a whopping 7,000 participants that helped raise more than $200,000.
• Springfield’s Golf Classic celebrated its 22nd anniversary and raised almost $80,000 dollars with the help of 160 participants.
• Wisconsin’s O2 Oxygen Ball Gala broke another record, raising almost $440,000.

LUNG FORCE Walks

• A force of more than 2,682 walkers participated in three inaugural LUNG FORCE Walks across the region: Des Moines, Iowa; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Oakbrook, Illinois.
• Together, the walkers and events raised more than $325,000.

Turquoise Takeover

• Through our LUNG FORCE campaign, we have increased passion and support, and have become a leader in the fight against lung cancer and for lung health.
• Our Turquoise Takeover in May during National Women’s Lung Health Week included almost 40 buildings and landmarks that were illuminated turquoise across the Upper Midwest.
• We held four LUNG FORCE events engaging hundreds of supporters and earned more than one million media impressions across the region.

As a LUNG FORCE Hero, Meghan O’Brien, helped alleviate the stigma of lung cancer as a “smoker’s disease”. This was her story, as she never smoked a day in her life. She was a determined advocate and spokesperson, appearing in multiple TV and radio interviews, print articles and sharing her story at LUNG FORCE events. Meghan died of lung cancer on March 1st, 2015 in Illinois. She was 32 years old. It is for LUNG FORCE Heroes like Meghan that we call attention to lung cancer in May during National Women’s Lung Health Week.