Dear Leaders in Cancer Community Health,

As we enter the start of the holidays, I hope that you, your team, and your family are staying healthy during this unprecedented time. We know that this season can traditionally present unique challenges for historically vulnerable communities. However, in the age of COVID-19, we recognize that many populations are often faced with difficult personal choices while exploring lung cancer treatment. These choices are made exponentially more difficult by limited resources, as well as a healthcare system stretched thin by the pandemic.

This month’s email addresses practices related to the various stages of one’s lung cancer journey – from screening to initial diagnosis to the pivotal moment of seeking treatment. We also provide much-needed information about COVID 19 and lung cancer, as well as a new program for leaders to effect change through our LUNGevity Action Network.

We appreciate your feedback on these resources, as we seek to partner with you in a way that is helpful to both you and your network and use this monthly forum to share and highlight resources developed by cancer community outreach leaders like you across the country.

Sincerely,

Best regards,

Jeanne Regnante
Chief Health Equity and Diversity Officer
LUNGevity Foundation

News You Can Use

Inhale for Life: Right Track

This month, LUNGevity launched its fourth installment of the Inhale for Life public service campaign. The annual series features the stories of lung cancer survivors and their families and aims to raise awareness of lifesaving medical advances and optimal lung cancer care and treatment options.

The latest installment gives expert advice on the first steps people should take following a lung cancer diagnosis. The Right Track offers a roadmap for achieving the best possible outcomes in lung cancer treatment and care. Newly diagnosed patients are encouraged to get on the right track right away—seeking the right team, having the right tests, and getting the right treatment, right from the start.

We encourage you to share this message with your communities, as we feel it could assist patients in the initial steps of their lung cancer journey. Visit our website to learn more about the Inhale for Life: Right Track campaign, as well as the original Inhale for Life lung cancer awareness campaign and the Biomarker Testing and Clinical Trials installments.

LUNGevity Action Network

As leaders, you play an essential role in meeting the needs of vulnerable populations most affected by lung cancer. Now, through the LUNGevity Action Network, you can have access to the training and tools necessary to raise awareness and affect policy for those who need it most.

The voice of the patient and those who care for them is more powerful when we act together.

Backed by the vast information network from the nation’s leading lung cancer organization, this easy-to-use online guide offers community leaders everything they need to be successful lung cancer advocates, delivered right to their inbox! To learn more and to sign up for this free program, please visit our LUNGevity Action Network page. Please share this page with others.

Interview with Dr. Robert Winn

LUNGevity’s fall 2020 Fresh Air newsletter featured an interview with Robert Winn, MD, LUNGevity Foundation Board Member and Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. A fierce advocate for health equity, Dr. Winn spoke with Jeanne Regnante, LUNGevity’s chief health equity officer, about his lung cancer advocacy, inequities in healthcare, and what gives him hope. Read this insightful analysis of the current state of health care disparities.

Resources

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, LUNGevity recognizes that having access to the right information is often critical to a person’s well-being. This is especially true for lung cancer patients or caregivers, who may often face undue personal and financial risk while trying to stay safe.

As an organization dedicated to removing barriers to lung cancer treatment, LUNGevity has created a comprehensive online tool for those looking to understand how COVID-19 can affect their health, with a glossary and up-to-date information provided in both English and Spanish. We invite you to visit and share the following links for an overview of what we currently know about the coronavirus.

English Resources

Recursos en Español

Do the communities that you serve have additional questions regarding available services for lung cancer patients and their caregivers? If so, please visit our resources page for helpful links to cancer organizations, survivor support, and patient advocacy groups.

You can also refer community inquiries to our Lung Cancer HELPLine (1-844-360-5864). This toll-free service, staffed with oncology social workers, provides personalized tools to help patients navigate their lung cancer diagnosis-including managing financial challenges, finding childcare, and improving communication with their healthcare team. The HELPLine is available Monday through Thursday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.