Programs: Lung cancer, asthma, lung disease, and tobacco control: lung cancer is an urgent health crisis in america, killing more people than any other cancer. The american lung association is dedicated to reducing lung cancer's terrible toll. We launched lung force to make lung cancer a national priority. We've significantly increased our lung cancer research funding, and we are continually developing and improving support resources for lung cancer patients and their caregivers. We are facing a crisis in women's health. Every five minutes, a woman in the u. S. Is diagnosed with lung cancer, and every eight minutes, a woman dies from lung cancer. In the last 27 years, the lung cancer death rate has risen 98 percent among women, while falling 28 percent among men. The american lung association asked women across the country about their perceptions around lung cancer and the results were published in the women's lung health barometer. Only one percent of women knew that lung cancer was the #1 cancer killer of both women and men. In the upcoming year, lung force expos will offer education and support for lung disease patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. Lung force walks will bring together those fighting for lung health to raise money to support the lung force goals. Through lung force, we have committed to: 1) invest $10 million in lung cancer research and $5 million increasing public health promotion; 2) provide patients with information about clinical trials and biomarker testing; 3) advocate for increasing federal funding for lung cancer research from $213 million today to $300 million by 2020. Every year the american lung association helps people manage their lung disease, overcome their nicotine addiction and live healthier lives. Last year we expanded our suite of education and support tools for patients with lung disease and their caregivers. We provided educational and lung helpline support to more than 220,000 people. Nationwide, we provided educational support to more than 100,000 people, helping smokers quit and supporting those impacted by lung disease. During copd awareness month (november) we hosted a nationwide public webinar that helped copd patients connect with social support, like our lung connection community and better breathers clubs. With support from the u. S. Centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) we worked to help students with asthma have improved access to their asthma medication in schools. We continued to reach adults with asthma and caregivers with the necessary steps to improve their asthma management through our asthma basics online course. 2014 saw a 150 percent increase in course completions. The american lung association continues to work aggressively on tobacco control efforts around the country. 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the surgeon general's landmark 1964 report on smoking and health. We joined other health partners to recognize 50 years of progress and laid out three bold goals: 1) reduce smoking rates, currently at about 18 percent, to less than 10 percent within 10 years; 2) protect all americans from secondhand smoke within five years; and 3) ultimately eliminate the death and disease caused by tobacco use. Our state of tobacco control 2014 report highlighted the urgent need for our nation to renew its commitment to eliminate tobacco-caused death and disease. Thanks to a community transformation grant from cdc, we worked with 11 communities over the last three years to reduce tobacco use and exposure, with an emphasis on reducing tobacco-related health disparities. The quitter in you campaign targeted tobacco users in 15 markets across the country and let them know that it's not unusual to try several times before quitting for good and that the american lung association is here to help. Our freedom from smoking and not-on-tobacco programs continue to help thousands of teen and adult smokers quit. Because not everyone quits smoking the same way, we also offered freedom from smoking online and one-on-one cessation counseling through the lung helpline.
research: funding research has been a cornerstone of the lung association's fight against lung disease for more than a century. In 2013 - 2014, our donors again made it possible to fund close to $9 million for exceptional researchers seeking treatments and cures lung diseases, including asthma, copd, and lung cancer. The american lung association nationwide research program consists of two programs: the awards and grants program and the asthma clinical research centers. The awards and grants program fosters laboratory and patient-centered and social behavior research to prevent, treat and hopefully find a cure for all lung diseases. Nearly 70 grants funded through the awards and grants program included projects on asthma, copd, lung cancer, lung infections and rare lung disorders, as well as research on important risk factors such as smoking and air quality. The asthma clinical research centers (acrc) is the nation's largest network conducting asthma clinical trials outside the pharmaceutical industry. In fy14, acrc programs funded nearly 90 scientists. The acrc has recently expanded its research portfolio to include copd. Now known as the airways clinical research centers, it will remain the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers with an enhanced mission of improving asthma and copd care through clinical research in diverse populations. Acrc also published results of the study of nasal steroids in asthma trail in the journal of allergy and clinical immunology. The trial found that treatment of chronic sinusitis with nasal corticosteroids did not improve asthma control. Our lung cancer discovery award was expanded to fund early detection projects in addition to treatment proposals. In fy14 we increased funding for lung cancer research projects by 17 percent over the year before. The lung cancer expert medical advisory panel was formed to assist in the examination of lung cancer and provide strategic advice on lung cancer.
field program development & support of american lung association chartered associations: the american lung association national headquarters supports its nine chartered associations through coaching, training, consultation and technical assistance. American lung association staff and volunteers throughout the country are provided skill-building and other learning opportunities to help them successfully deliver the american lung association's mission. Through implementation of these staff learning and volunteer development offerings, chartered associations are kept current on best practices in lung health programs and delivery, advocacy, financial management, fundraising, leadership development and volunteer management. One-on-one coaching and consultation by national headquarters staff is offered as needed or requested. Individual discipline groups (e. G. Chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief development officers, program managers, etc. ) meet regularly with national headquarters peers to share ideas, problem-solve, and network. The american lung association conducts a nationwide volunteer and staff recognition program. Volunteers and staff are recognized on an ongoing basis for outstanding performance. An annual recognition ceremony is held at a meeting of the american lung association board of directors where awards for highest achievement are given in specific categories. The american lung association board of directors provides strategic direction for the national headquarters and its chartered associations. Coordination and monitoring of national and chartered association strategic alignment is provided through a board-approved metric-based performance management system. The american lung association board of directors is responsible for oversight of chartered association compliance to policies and performance standards. Assistance is provided by the national headquarters to those chartered associations that do not meet requirements and/or standards. A variety of national staff provide special events support to the chartered associations. This support is designed to assist in the development, marketing and implementation of events and promotions strategies. Among the assistance provided are: - planning (goal setting, strategic review, development of template material, feasibility studies) - training (monthly conference calls, best practice staff training, listserv based materials, staff training webinars, etc. ) - implementation (sponsorship calls, recruitment, event attendance/participation) - coaching (staff, leadership, volunteers) - coordination of collateral; solicit national sponsors/teams - build, facilitate and integrate e-commerce platforms - and evaluation of new events. The primary focus is to increase the chartered associations net revenue and fully integrate best practice strategies into the overall work plan. Marketing and communications team members from national provide support and template materials to chartered association to locally promote signature reports, conduct social media, media monitoring/analysis and conduct media response to news items and events. The direct response team develops and implements campaign plans for all direct mail appeals, telemarketing campaigns and the residential program in conjunction with our direct response consulting agency. All funds generated are deposited directly into local association accounts on a regular (weekly or bi-weekly) basis with detailed reports by campaign for the current period and year-to-date. Local associations are billed monthly for direct response expenses and quarterly for a 30% share of the net income generated by the programs. Associations are provided with a budget for each program along with cash flow and billing schedules, as well as quarterly updates on actual performance. Billed expenses are reconciled to actual costs at the end of the fiscal year. Images of all rollout mailing packages are available for reference by local associations. Direct response calls or meetings are conducted to which all local ceos are invited to participate for updates on the program and any issues or questions that arise. Form 990, part iii, line 4d other program services advocacy and environmental: in 2013 - 2014 we made significant headway it the fight for healthy air. We successfully pushed the u. S. Environmental protection agency (epa) to adopt new standards for cleaner gasoline and cleaner vehicles that will reduce air pollution across the nation. Our leadership resulted in american lung association president and ceo, harold wimmer, joining epa administrator gina mccarthy for that announcement, to underscore the importance of reducing air pollution to protect lung health. Our 15th annual state of the air report received wide media coverage throughout the year. The report shows that nearly 1 in 2 americans still live in areas where the pollution levels earn them a grade of "f". We won several court cases in the fight for healthy air, including a supreme court decision that upheld the protections from the pollution blown across state lines. President obama joined a nation-wide conference call with the american lung association to highlight importance of reducing carbon pollution from power plants. President obama highlighted the need to protect people with asthma and other vulnerable populations. More than 22,000 people participated in the call. In the past year, the american lung association's healthy air campaign successfully secured significant victories in the fight for healthy air, ensuring that the epa advanced strong federal policies to reduce pollution from tailpipes and smokestacks across the nation. When fully implemented, these healthy air safeguards will result in thousands of lives saved, tens of thousands of asthma attacks and heart attacks avoided, and will help prevent millions of missed school or work days due to illness. The campaign's strategic approach including building a strong coalition of health and medical leaders, sharing the powerful stories of volunteer advocates, and highlighting the heath burdens of air pollution in the media proved to be a highly effective way to neutralize those opposed to healthy air safeguards and advance our policy goals. We have advocated aggressively to ensure that the u. S. Food and drug administration (fda) extends its oversight to previously unregulated tobacco products including e-cigarettes, cigars and other products. The american lung association testified at a hearing to urge medicare to cover low-dose ct scans for lung cancer and submitted detailed recommendations to the centers for medicare and medicaid services (cms). We also launched an online petition where 17,000 people took action to urge cms to cover this life-saving early detection. The american lung association advocates for increased federal funding in lung health research at the national institutes of health for better diagnoses, treatments, prevention, cures, and detection of lung diseases including asthma, copd, lung cancer and tuberculosis. We led the campaign to save the centers for disease control and prevention's national asthma control program from elimination. We now continue our leadership in working with champions on capitol hill to increase funding for state programs to reduce the terrible burden of asthma in our communities. To reduce the terrible burden of asthma in our communities.
advocacy and environment
