Regional Coalition Meeting and Updates
Our next Regional Coalition meeting has been scheduled for December 7th. Please mark your calendars and look out for an email with details. More information on FY23 meetings will be forthcoming.
The website team is currently working on re-establishing and placing more current events on our rptfc.org calendar page. If you have an event coming up, be sure to contact Julie Bartol at Julie.Bartol@lung.org to add it to the rptfc.org calendar, as well as future newsletters.
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Become a COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador in Your Community
The American Lung Association was awarded a COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development, and is committed to COVID-19 vaccine equity. By partnering with community organizations and training local leaders to become COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors, the Lung Association hopes to increase vaccine confidence in rural or geographically isolated areas that have experienced vaccine inequities.
Ambassadors will share fact-based information to help educate their neighbors on the importance of being up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines. If you or someone in your organization is interested in this opportunity, contact David.Huber@Lung.org for an application or for more details. Submission deadline ends Friday, August 26th!
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How Lungs Work Video, Now Playing Everywhere!
This helpful tool has now been incorporated into many trainings such as Asthma Basics, COPD Basics and more. And, for those of you seeking Spanish resources, this video is also available in Spanish!
The video explains how the lungs are essential parts of your respiratory system that work together to help you breathe. It describes how the lungs actually function and how to keep your lungs healthy. If you would like to educate others on how important it is to keep your lungs healthy, then be sure to add this resource as a tool to share with your community partners, clinics, hospitals, patients and anyone else you feel may benefit.
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Spread the Word: #DoTheVapeTalk
On August 9th, the new youth vaping campaign, #DoTheVapeTalk launched! This public service campaign was developed in collaboration with the American Lung Association and the Ad Council. It aims to raise awareness about the dangers of youth vaping, and to help parents with middle schoolers (ages 10-14) have the Vape Talk with their kids, while they’re still willing to listen. Vaping is a critical issue because it can cause irreversible lung damage and affect attention, learning, memory and brain development.
Even with seeing reductions, youth vaping rates are still unacceptably high. Currently, 2.1 million kids use e-cigarettes and thousands of kids start vaping every day. This campaign launch comes at an important time, as millions of tweens prepare to return to school and need more reasons to say "no" to vaping.
The new PSAs use pop culture and viral dance video trends to connect parents and their kids as a lead-in to more serious conversations about the dangers of vaping. The goal is to prevent kids from ever starting to vape. In addition to the TV, billboards and print ads, the digital outreach this year is powerful! The team partnered with several influencers. One of the social media influencers and anti-vaping activist is Russell Horning, the “Backpack Kid,” is in the video. Part of the media plan is to have all of the appointed influencers reach out to their sizable audience and boost this vital message.
Liking, sharing, or retweeting #DoTheVapeTalk social posts are an easy way to support the campaign. View these posts at the following media handles below:
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National Immunization Awareness Month
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Now is a good time to get back on track with routine vaccinations. If you have chronic lung disease, you may be at higher risk for severe illness from infectious respiratory diseases. Learn about three important vaccines below.
Pneumococcal Pneumonia: Did you know pneumococcal pneumonia is the most common type of bacterial pneumonia and causes an estimated 150,000 hospitalizations each year in the U.S.? Pneumococcal pneumonia can strike anytime, anywhere, in any season. Pneumococcal pneumonia vaccines are available year-round to help prevent the disease and is recommended for ages 19-64 with certain underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, COPD, and heart disease and all adults aged 65 or older. Talk to a healthcare provider about pneumococcal vaccination.
Pertussis or Whooping Cough: Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, is a serious respiratory illness that is easily spread from person to person. Pertussis can lead to severe, sometimes life-threatening health problems such as exacerbation of chronic medical conditions – including asthma and COPD. The best way to help protect against pertussis is by getting vaccinated. A vaccine called Tdap helps protect against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis and has been used since 2005. If you are living with asthma or COPD, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider about getting a vaccination to protect against pertussis.
COVID-19: COVID-19 vaccinations are now recommended to everyone 6 months or older and are the best way to protect your children, family, friends and community from severe COVID-19 illness. Curious about the evolving questions surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine? We have answers.
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Vaping and E-Cigarettes - A Toolkit for Working with Youth
FDA created Vaping and E-Cigarettes: A Toolkit for Working With Youth to support the work of public health professionals in educating youth about the dangers of vaping. This toolkit includes a series of fact sheets with information on what are e-cigarettes, how do they work, how FDA regulates them, the signs and symptoms of nicotine addiction, and how can adults help teens quit vaping. The target audience for this toolkit is Health Care professionals. To access this FREE toolkit, visit the Tobacco Education Resource Library where you can order, download, or print a copy in a PDF format.
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Coalition Member Spotlight / Highlights |
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Community Garden at Camp Curtain YMCA
Article by Eric Rothermel, Harrisburg Area YMCA
The Harrisburg Area YMCA's Camp Curtin Branch has partnered with the Harrisburg Garden Partners Group to show that planting native plants can help your vegetables grow. This group of partners has come together to build support for community agriculture and food access at the YMCA Camp Curtin Branch Urban Garden, located on Jefferson Street, behind the 6th street building in Harrisburg.
The YMCA is not only teaching the youth how to plant and grow their own food, but also these children and their families are learning about sustainability, upcycling and recycling, all while working in neighborhoods that they are growing up in.
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Northern Dauphin County YMCA Mentoring Program Initiative
Article sent in by Eric Rothermel, Harrisburg Area YMCA
The Northern Dauphin County YMCA Mentoring Program has a lush community garden. The youth involved in the successful program grow produce every summer for the local community. Those in need are then able to receive fresh vegetables from the garden. This community garden is also participating in the Tobacco-Free Community Garden initiative and sports a Lung Association sign reflecting this move to protect lungs and the plants.
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