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“Our mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through research, education, and advocacy.”
LATEST NEWS
Registration Now Open for the 2010 Breathe DC Metro Walk!
January 19, 2009 Washington, D.C. – ALADC is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2010 Breathe DC Metro Walk. The Breathe DC Metro Walk is the organization’s annual fundraising event to raise awareness about lung disease and its causes, such as smoking, pollution, and poor indoor air quality. Proceeds from the Walk will help us fight lung disease by offering free programs to area residents to treat, manage and prevent lung disease. Participants and sponsors can receive many exciting incentives for its support of the American Lung Association of DC. For information and to register, visit www.breathewalk.org.
Another Fun and Exciting Way to Help ALADC Fight Lung Disease!!
Come join the American Lung Association in the District of Columbia as we travel to Las Vegas to participate in the “Scale the Strat” 2010 Fight for Air Climb event. Money you raise for this event will come back to support the American Lung Association in the District of Columbia.
“Scale the Strat” is one of the most exciting climbing events in the world with 108 floors and 1,455 steps to challenge you! The two-day event will take place with “qualifying” round(s) on Saturday, March 13, 2010 and a top 50 “climb off” on Sunday, March 14, 2010!
Individuals and teams will race up the world famous Stratosphere Tower staircase for bragging rights and prizes while raising money for the American Lung Association in the District of Columbia.
If you would like to participate in this exciting climb, visit the website below to learn more or to register. When you register, be sure to enter the following code in the ALA Code Field on the registration page: ALA215
This will ensure the monies you raise will come back to benefit the American Lung Association in the District of Columbia.
To learn more about this exciting event or to register, click on the following link:
We even have special room rate/packages ($59 per night) for participants who stay at the Stratosphere. If a participant stays beyond Sunday night, it will cost only $29.
Questions? Please feel free to call Aleek at (202) 546-5864 ext 220.
Professional Football Players Tackle Asthma with the Asthma Team
Chris Draft Family Foundation Asthma Team and American Lung Association of DC Inspire Families to Keep Fighting Asthma
The Chris Draft Family Foundation (CDFF) and the American Lung Association of DC are working together to recognize families who are tackling asthma by sharing the stories of their battles. Professional football players have joined the cause to become captains of the CDFF’s Asthma Team and tell how they overcome their disease to be successful professional athletes. The Stamp and Kerns families, both from the Washington, DC metropolitan area, have spoken with Chris Draft about their fight against asthma. Read More.
ALADC Announces an Historic Decline in District Smokers
The District now has the lowest smoking prevalence ever recorded in the District’s history. In the past three years, the number of District smokers has significantly decreased and the number of District smokers seeking assistance in quitting has significantly increased, with a 500 percent increase in calls to the quitline since 2006.
In 2006, the DC Department of Health, the American Lung Association of DC and the American Cancer Society jointly launched DC Tobacco Free Families, a three year campaign to reduce tobacco use prevalence among District residents. The comprehensive $10 million campaign, combined with the implementation of progressive tobacco prevention and control policies, such as a doubling of the cigarette tax and a comprehensive smoke-free air law, contributed to the decline in the District’s single most preventable cause of death. This finding, among other impacts of the campaign, is presented in a recent evaluation report for this tobacco settlement funded initiative. Read More.
Statement of ALADC on the Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Diet after Quitting Smoking
Statement of Rolando A. Andrewn, ALADC President and CEO – The American Lung Association of the District of Columbia continues to support the evidence that quitting smoking is the single most important way smokers can achieve overall wellness and avoid chronic illnesses. In response to a study released linking quitting smoking with Type II diabetes, several articles were published with misleading headlines linking smoking cessation to the development of Type II diabetes. The study conducted by researchers at Columbia University and the City College of New York in fact, linked weight gain and eating high-sugar foods with development of Type II diabetes. Weight gain is a common occurrence following quitting smoking, but can be avoided through controlled diet and increased exercise. Read More.
January is National Radon Action Month
In observation of National Radon Action Month, the American Lung Association of DC is educating DC area residents about the dangers of radon exposure and promoting ways to reduce radon exposure and the associated risk for lung disease.
Common Questions about Radon
Q: What is radon?
A: Radon is a radioactive decay product of radium, which is itself a decay product of uranium. Uranium and radium are both common elements in the soil. It is harmlessly dispersed in outdoor air, but when trapped in buildings, can be harmful, especially at elevated levels.
Q: Where is radon found?
A: The primary source of high levels of radon in homes is the surrounding soil. Radon has been found in elevated levels in homes in every state. The EPA estimates that as many as one in 15 homes across the US have elevated radon levels. To learn more about radon and to request a free radon test kit for your home, visit the DC Department of the Environment’s website.
ALADC Receives $850K Grant to Continue Free Smoking Cessation Program for DC Residents
October 2009 – The DC Cancer Consortium, (DCCC) in partnership with the DC Department of Health, has awarded the American Lung Association of the District of Columbia (ALADC) with an $850,000 grant to sustain the District’s free Quitline program, 800-QUIT-NOW, for DC residents.
Through this grant, ALADC will continue to provide the free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and counseling program of the DC Tobacco Free Families Campaign (DCTFF). Spanish-speaking residents are still encouraged to call 202-333-4488 to access these services. Read More.
ALADC Congratulates New Board Chairman, Robert E. Bates
Tuesday July 6, 2009 - Robert E. Bates, a longtime board member and friend of ALADC, will begin his term as the new chairman for the ALADC Board of Directors on July 1st. Mr. Bates has served on the ALADC board since 1999, and served as the DC representative on the ALA National Board for five years. A Washington, DC native, Bates has dedicated most of his career to public service on national, federal, and local platforms. As the American Lung Association of DC prepares to extend its services beyond its District boundaries, Mr. Bates is charting the course for ALADC’s expansion of it service territory to the DC Metro area.
“For this year and the years to come, ALADC will meet the demand for resources to assist lung disease suffers beyond the borders of the District…ALA in Metro DC will work to ensure that healthful breathing always matters for DC, and in the [DC Metro area].”
The American Lung Association of DC congratulates and thanks outgoing chairman, Mr. David A. McWilliams, for his outstanding leadership and commitment to improving the lung health of DC residents. During his tenure as Chair, ALADC spearheaded a successful collaborative campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco use for DC smokers. Mr. McWilliams will continue to serve as a board member for the American Lung Association of DC.