Message from Andrea Ferris, President and CEODelivering timely information from the FDA and medical and policy experts to you It has now been over a month that most of us have been facing stay-at-home requirements. At LUNGevity, we have adjusted, adapted, and—in some ways—embraced this “new normal.” We are as committed as ever to our mission, and our team has worked tirelessly to find new ways to provide community, support, and education for you during these challenging times. One such way is bringing relevant, reliable, and timely information to you in our Conversations with Healthcare Experts video series. If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, I highly encourage you to check them out! One in particular I recommend from this past week is our video with the FDA to discuss new Guidance on the conduct of clinical trials during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and answer patient questions. We are incredibly grateful to the FDA for listening to patients’ concerns and issues with accessing trials during the pandemic and we appreciate their help in bringing you this essential information. I also recommend our recent interview with well-known Washington strategist Monica Popp to bring you the latest update on policy changes as a result of COVID-19. This is a particularly important conversation as the policy changes of today will shape healthcare of tomorrow. Monica explains the political climate and what’s coming, along with actions individuals can take to keep lung cancer a priority. I hope you find this and our other videos helpful. I also want to remind you about another resource we are offering during these trying times: Breathe Easier: An Emergency Response Fund. This fund was created to help financially support life challenges for lung cancer patients and their families during the time of the COVID-19 public health emergency. If you need assistance, call the Lung Cancer HELPLine (844-360-5864), a free support phone service in partnership with CancerCare, to apply. Please know that we are still fully committed to serving you and our community. 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, clinical trials, and treatment during COVID-19 We have heard many concerns from our community about how the public health crisis might be affecting patients’ clinical trials. LUNGevity hosted a listening session with the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence and the FDA Thoracic Oncology team to address some of these questions, such as:
It was an informative session and included input from four lung cancer survivors. We encourage you to watch the video and read the transcript if you have questions or concerns about clinical trial and drug development during the COVID-19 public health crisis. To ensure non-English-speaking lung cancer patients also have access to information, we recently added a Conversations with Healthcare Experts video interview with Dr. Vicky Lai, MD, conducted in Mandarin. Lung cancer patient Winnie Qiu interviewed Dr. Lai, who answered questions that are most relevant to the lung cancer community regarding COVID-19. Check back often for additions to this interview series. Finally, in this week’s COVID-19 update, we address how different professional societies and organizations are addressing lung cancer screening and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions addressed include:
Find out the answers to these questions and more in this week’s joint statement. Check back Monday for next week’s update. Update from Katie Brown, VP of Support and Survivorship ProgramsContinuing to build our virtual community Last weekend would have been the tenth year of the annual International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference (previously HOPE Summit). While meeting virtually cannot replace the feeling of being together, it can act as a placeholder until then. Join us for our weekly Zoom meetups, occurring every Friday, either midday or early evening, with multiple meetups running simultaneously. Join once or multiple times to meet new people and see old friends. If you are interested in joining the next meetup, make sure you are registered for ILCSC and continue to check your email for more information. It was great to celebrate all of our amazing and dedicated volunteers as part of National Volunteer Week last week—there are so many wonderful and passionate people in our community! Are you interested in getting involved? Now is a great time to become a LifeLine Mentor, Social Media Ambassador, or LCSC Moderator. I know how hard it is to be away from family and friends; that why it’s so important we stay connected amid the stress and uncertainty of the virus. Whether you join our meetups or utilize one of our many other services, LUNGevity is here to help you navigate emotionally during these difficult times. Please reach out to support@lungevity.org or 312-407-6116 if you are feeling isolated or need support. We are stronger together. Update from Kristen Santiago, Senior Director, Public Policy InitiativesHow you were impacted by the stimulus packages While much of industry is shut down as part of our country’s efforts to control COVID-19, policy decisions are still being made that could impact you and your loved ones. I recently talked through recent policy changes with Monica Popp, a well-known Washington strategist. In this video interview, we discussed:
We will continue to keep you updated on any additional legislative or regulatory changes related to COVID-19 that may impact you. If you have specific questions please reach out to Kristen Santiago, Senior Director, Public Policy Initiatives, at ksantiago@lungevity.org. |