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Contact your Congressional representatives and ask them to support Year of the Lung

Below is a brief article that was published in the American Thoracic Society's newsletter. I am going to write a similar one for HPS, but thought I'd go ahead and post theirs now as it's faster. I've been feeling not 100 percent, so I'm moving a little slow.

Year of the Lung is designed to bring attention to the need for more funding and public health attention for lung disorders. Although lung problems are leading killers, they don't begin to get the funding and attention of other organ systems.

For example, although the pulmonary fibrosis of HPS is rare, pulmonary fibrosis in general kills as many Americans every year as breast cancer, yet has a fraction of the funding or public support. (Not that I'd ever want to take anything away from breast cancer.)

If you want to help, you can contact your Congressional representatives about this resolution. A resolution doesn't carry the same weight as a law, but it will help to increase Congressional awareness of the issue.

The article from the ATS:

The ATS is working to increase momentum and support for the congressional Year of the Lung resolutions, H.Res 1122 and S. Res. 432, sponsored by Reps. Lewis (D-GA) and Stearns (R-FL) and Sens. Lincoln (D-AR) and Crapo (R-ID). H.Res. 1122 currently has 9 bipartisan cosponsors and S. Res. 1122 has two cosponsors. Both resolutions must gain many more cosponsors to secure House and Senate passage.

Hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer each year from treatable and preventable chronic respiratory disease such as tuberculosis, asthma, influenza, lung cancer and COPD. The connection between breath and life is fundamental, yet the evidence shows that lung health is not high on the public health agenda. H.Res 1122/S.Res. 432 aim to raise awareness and support increased research into lung disease.

Please contact your House Representative and two Senators by May 3 to request their cosponsorship of H.Res 1122 and S.Res. 432.

H.Res. 1122 cosponsors: Reps. Baldwin (D-WI), Chandler (D-KY), Ehlers (D-MI), Kennedy (D-RI), Moore (D-KS), Murphy (D-PA, Neal (D-MA), Stearns (R-FL), and Wu (D-OR).
S.Res 432 cosponsors: Sens. Crapo (R-ID) and Wicker (R-MS).
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