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First Ever COPD National Action Plan

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By American Lung Association

2 min read

From left to right: Grace Ann Dorney Koppel, Dr. MeiLan Han, Dr. Jim Kiley, NHLBI, Harold Wimmer.

Recently the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) announced the first ever COPD National Action Plan in which the American Lung Association served as a lead partner. The plan includes the call for greater public awareness of COPD risk factors, improved quality of care and increased research efforts for the 11 million Americans that live with COPD and the millions more that are not diagnosed.

COPD National Action Plan

The COPD National Action Plan has five key goals:

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  1. Empower people with COPD, their families and caregivers to recognize and reduce the burden of COPD.
  2. Improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of COPD by improving the quality of care delivered across the healthcare continuum.
  3. Collect, analyze, report and disseminate COPD-related public health data that drive change and track progress.
  4. Increase and sustain research to better understand the prevention, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and management of COPD.
  5. Translate national policy, educational and program recommendations into research and public healthcare actions.

Supporting the plan

Everybody can play a role in supporting this important plan, including you. One of the easiest ways for you to have a hand in the COPD National Action Plan is to take part in the COPD Patient Powered Research Network (COPD PPRN). The COPD PPRN is an opportunity for individuals living with COPD to revolutionize research by sharing the impact COPD has on their lives. The COPD PPRN will serve as a clinical research registry for researchers including those in the Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers and as a result, further COPD research for millions of Americans.  In addition, by being part of the PPRN, you will have access to new and relevant clinical trial research that can help you manage your COPD.  Learn more about clinical trials and how to participate.

The American Lung Association will continue to offer Better Breathers Clubs and the online Living with COPD support community, both of which offer support for people with COPD, their family, friends and caregivers. While there is no cure, much can be done to treat and manage COPD and we look forward to working with the nationwide community to further that goal.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The COPD.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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