Message from Andrea Ferris, President and CEOAddressing Triage Concerns I hope you and your loved ones are well and staying safe during this challenging time. While this is a troubling time for our world, the lung cancer community in particular has serious concerns about how this crisis will impact our already vulnerable community. One such concern is the leaked triage draft guidelines circulating on the internet. Triaging, or the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatment based on the severity of their condition, is a reality; however, the special circumstances of the public health emergency has given rise to major concerns in our community about how lung cancer patients are being treated as part of the COVID-19 triage guidelines. LUNGevity joined members of the Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN) to develop a joint statement on the triage considerations for lung cancer patients. It lays out relevant lung cancer facts and implores triage officers to consider more than just the lung cancer diagnosis; it is our belief that crucial life and death decisions should not be based solely on an advanced cancer diagnosis. Be sure to check out the LungCAN website to learn more about triaging and to access our joint statement. Triaging against those with “terminal cancer” can be seen as disability discrimination. This is why LUNGevity has signed on to several letters to the US Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) expressing our concerns on these guidelines and urging healthcare providers to comply with federal disability rights laws. LUNGevity also signed on to a letter that included tips for states and healthcare providers on how to avoid disability discrimination while treatment rationing. You can read the letter here. I also want to remind you about the 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, you can learn more about the program on our website, or you can call the Lung Cancer HELPLine (844-360-5864), a free support phone service in partnership with CancerCare, to apply. We are here for you through every step of this crisis. If there is an issue you are facing that we are not addressing, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@LUNGevity.org to bring it to our attention. We will do all we can to help you through this time. Update from Katie Brown, VP of Support and Survivorship ProgramsNew Self-Care During COVID-19 resource center is live! Managing stress and maintaining a healthy diet are key to navigating these unprecedented and stressful times. LUNGevity is here to provide you with resources, tools, and tips to keep you on the right track. Check out our new Self-Care for Patients and Caregivers website.
A special thank you for all who have joined our weekly Zoom meet-ups. It has been a pleasure to see your faces, new and old, and I look forward to it all week long! If you are interested in joining the next meet-up, make sure you are registered for ILCSC and continue to check your email for more information. As we continue to navigate through the evolving challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to remind you that LUNGevity is here for you. Please reach out to support@lungevity.org or 312-407-6116 if you are feeling isolated or need support. Update from Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, Vice President of ResearchConversations with experts continue As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we will be conducting more online interviews with lung cancer experts to bring you accurate, current information on how the disease affects people with lung cancer and how to stay safe. You’ll want to check out the latest video interview with Felicity Harper, PhD, who answered several questions from the lung cancer community about coping with COVID-19 from her perspective as a clinical psychologist. Be sure to check out our video interview with Jessica Donington, MD, MSCR, who answered several questions about COVID-19 and lung cancer surgery from her perspective as a thoracic surgeon at the University of Chicago. Update from Kristen Santiago, Senior Director, Public Policy InitiativesYour access to telehealth and other changes to Medicare In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have recently announced temporary changes to many policies currently in place; these changes are intended to allow patients to get the care they need while staying healthy and safe and to grant healthcare providers flexibility to meet the challenges of treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some changes that might specifically impact the lung cancer community. See details on some key changes below.
We will continue to keep you updated on any additional 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. |