Message from Andrea Ferris, President and CEOOur commitment to serving you The past few weeks have witnessed the country begin to re-open. While many have seen this as cautiously positive, we understand that for many this continues to be a stressful time, particularly for our lung cancer community. At LUNGevity, our goal is to support you to the fullest extent possible to ensure our community stays safe and healthy as we navigate this new stage of the public health crisis. Given the impact on the lung cancer community of easing these restrictions, LUNGevity Foundation is interested in understanding how we can help YOU during these difficult times. Please answer this short, anonymous survey (10-15 minutes) to share your perspective on what different types of support we can offer you to navigate the post-shelter-in-place environment. There are no right or wrong answers. Thank you for your feedback on how to best serve you. Reach out to us at info@LUNGevity.org, and we will do all we can to help you through this time. Update from Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, Vice President of ResearchLung cancer screening and COVID-19 testing In our latest COVID-19 joint update, we address a topic on many people’s minds: testing. As the country begins to re-open, it’s important to understand the true extent of COVID-19 infections, which can be accomplished through testing. However, there is still work to be done to ensure reliability in tests and to make full use of the results. Testing can be done to identify patients with active infections or those who have been infected in the past and are now recovered. This update includes a short video from Dr. Nicolas Vabret, who explained how the immune system responds to the virus and how the immune response can be used to identify patients who have been infected with the virus. Be sure to check back Monday for next week’s update. We also recently spoke with Nichole Tanner, MD, MSCR, Medical University of South Carolina and co-director of the Hollings Cancer Center Lung Cancer Screening Program, as part of our Conversations with Healthcare Experts series. In this interview, we discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting lung cancer screening from Dr. Tanner’s perspective as a pulmonary critical care physician. The interview addresses safety questions around lung cancer screening during COVID-19, such as whether it is safe to follow through with a scheduled scan or if it is better to delay a scan to avoid possible exposure to the virus. Dr. Tanner also discussed what happens if a nodule is found on a scan during COVID-19. The interview and a transcript are available on our website. Although this interview was recorded in April, the information provided can be a helpful guide if you have concerns around screening. As always, be sure to talk to your doctor about your concerns and to ask any questions you may have about your healthcare decisions. Update from Katie Brown, VP of Support and Survivorship ProgramsWhat you should know about going back to work If you live in one of the states that is loosening restrictions and re-opening, you may have questions about going back to work post-COVID-19 lockdown. To address these concerns, we spoke with Monica Bryant, Esq., Chief Operating Officer of Triage Cancer. In the video interview, she discusses possible benefits for those with a compromised immune system due to cancer treatment, options for someone who lost their employer-provided health insurance, and additional financial assistance resources for those struggling financially right now. I encourage you to watch the video. If you are interested in hearing more from Triage Cancer about COVID-19 finance and employment questions, visit their website at triagecancer.org. Are you looking to connect virtually with other lung cancer patients and survivors? We invite you to join our weekly Virtual Meetups. Every Friday, LUNGevity hosts multiple, small-group virtual Zoom meetups with people who want to connect with others. Learn more and sign up on our website. I hope to see you there. If you need assistance of any kind, please reach out to the Lung Cancer HELPLine at 844-360-5864. Stay healthy and well. |