COPD Foundation Advocating for Michiganders Impacted by Chronic Lung Disease

BY MIKE HESS, MPH, RRT, SR. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

Many chronic health problems are familiar to the public — Diabetes, Heart Disease, Arthritis — but there’s one that has largely escaped the public eye. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, has become the third leading cause of death in Michigan as of 2020 — this despite the fact that the majority of the population knows little or nothing about the condition.1

Of course, the problem is not unique to Michigan — COPD is a leading cause of death across the country and worldwide, yet it receives little recognition. In the United States, COPD is a significant cause of disability and the 4th leading cause of death, but ranks approximately 176th in research funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).2

Many people have never heard of the condition nor realize they’re at risk, which often means they don’t get diagnosed until significant damage is already done to their lungs and their quality of life. Raising awareness about COPD and working toward better treatments (and one day a cure) for those living with the disease, is the core mission of the COPD Foundation. Like many conditions, COPD is best managed when detected early. Unfortunately, most people rarely think about their breathing until they absolutely must.

Often people adapt their lifestyles to accommodate for shortness of breath and other symptoms. Maybe they start taking the elevator instead of the stairs, or they figure they’re getting older and out of shape and need to start hitting the gym more often. They may not realize they’re one of the roughly 1 in 8 Michiganders living with COPD, nearly half of whom never get diagnosed properly. That’s why the COPD Foundation would like people to think a little more closely about their breathing. Education and communication for patients and providers are critical to a healthy, cooperative approach to disease management. Additionally, the COPD Foundation is committed to supporting clinicians caring for those with COPD.

One woman, living with COPD in Kalamazoo, told us that her most significant issue is getting all her clinicians (primary care and specialists) to coordinate care. Each one has her on different meds, and the regimens can be complicated, making it challenging to keep track.

To that end, the COPD Foundation provides patients with free downloadable education materials and a COPD Pocket Consultant Guide mobile app for iOS and Android with a COPD Wallet Card to keep medications and vaccines in one central location and share with providers.

Many people with COPD require various equipment, like nebulizers for certain inhaled medications, oxygen

The COPD Foundation provides patients with free downloadable education materials and the COPD Pocket Consultant Guide mobile app for iOS and Android. The COPD Pocket Consultant Guide helps patients keep medications and vaccines in one central location to share with providers.

Many people with COPD require various equipment, like nebulizers for certain inhaled medications, oxygen equipment, or ventilators. These add another layer of complexity to care coordination. The COPD Foundation is working on several initiatives to help people in Michigan and all 50 states along their COPD journey.

For example, the COPD360coach program connects English and Spanish-speaking people with COPD to peer coaches specially trained to educate and support COPD questions and educational needs. We also host a COPD Community Support Line at 1-866-316-COPD to help link people with the resources they need to manage their COPD effectively.

The BRIDGE project focuses on amplifying the voices of people with COPD and their caregivers in research projects. Impactful solutions will not be found unless the right questions are asked — that starts with incorporating people with COPD into the research process.

The Oxygen360 project aims to foster the innovation of new oxygen delivery systems and improve education for safe and effective oxygen therapy. Through Oxygen360, the Foundation holds monthly OxyTalk virtual meetings (open to anyone interested in participating) to help people get answers from clinicians and other oxygen users

The Foundation is also proud to support local initiatives that benefit the COPD community. In 2018, the organization offered a letter of support to the Think COPD program at WMed Health in Kalamazoo. Run by a state advocacy captain, Think COPD worked to grow awareness of COPD through a multimedia campaign including billboards & TV news spots, as well as lung health screening events in some of Kalamazoo’s historically underserved communities. These events helped to lower barriers to diagnosis and allow for more effectively managed care, earlier than ever before. Many of these programs have been on hold during the pandemic, but lung health screenings will return to the Kalamazoo area soon.

There’s much work to be done, but with Michigan having a relatively high prevalence of COPD compared to other states, it’s more important than ever to get people thinking about COPD risk factors. Often COPD is referred to as a “smoker’s disease,” however, up to 25% of cases are caused by things other than tobacco including, for example, the smoke and particulates generated by wood stoves used for cooking and heating in rural areas of Michigan.3

The job of the COPD Foundation is to help ensure anyone at risk for COPD, living with COPD, or caring for someone with COPD, gets the best care possible because everyone deserves to breathe easy.

Learn more about the COPD Foundation and COPD Awareness Campaign, #LaceUpforLungs, by visiting the Foundation at

COPDFOUNDATION.ORG

1 Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/michigan/mi.htm 2 Source: https://report.nih.gov/funding/categorical-spending#/ 3 Source: https://www.copdfoundation.org/What-is-COPD/Understanding-COPD/

What-Causes-COPD.aspx