Regional Coalition Website Updates and News
The latest addition to our rptfc.org website is a better search tool. You will soon be able to type in any keyword and, if found, your item will be highlighted in the search area. This will make finding the resources you need that much quicker.
The website team is working on a two minute website survey within the next few weeks. This survey will be placed on our website as a pop-up. We are requesting that anyone who visits our rptfc.org website take a moment to fill it out. This will help us improve the functionality of the website.
We are continuing to post more current events on our rptfc.org calendar page. If you have an event coming up, be sure to contact Julie Davis Bartol at Julie.Bartol@lung.org to add it to the rptfc.org calendar, as well as to future newsletters.
Our next Regional Coalition meeting has been scheduled for December 7th. Please mark your calendars and look for an upcoming email with details.
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Stay Current: COVID-19 Booster Updates
Earlier this month, the CDC recommended an updated COVID-19 booster. Several pieces of information regarding the updated COVID-19 booster include:
- Pfizer-BioNTech booster is recommended for 12+
- Moderna booster is recommended for 18+
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Both are bivalent, which means they boost immunity against the original (wild) coronavirus strain, and provide protection against the newer Omicron variants that account for most COVID-19 cases
- They replace the monovalent booster for everyone 12+
- The monovalent booster is still recommended for ages 5 through 11
- The updated boosters are available to eligible individuals regardless of the manufacturer of your last COVID-19 vaccination and should be given at least 2 months after your last primary series or booster vaccination.
To stay up-to-date and to locate most of your local COVID-19 vaccination clinics, use this helpful Vaccines.gov locator site.
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FREE! Cessation Program for Military Personnel and Veterans
Veterans have made unimaginable sacrifices on our behalf. They have faced and triumphed over fearsome enemies on the battlefield all to protect others. However, off the battlefield, veterans are facing a more personal enemy - one against which they are fighting courageously: lung cancer.
While anyone can get lung cancer, smoking is the leading risk factor. According to CDC, in the US, cigarette smoking prevalence is higher among people currently serving in the military than among the civilian population. Cigarette smoking prevalence is even higher among military personnel who have been deployed.
Veterans may not know that if they stop smoking, their lung function can improve within a month and, within ten years, their chance of developing lung cancer and dying from it is roughly cut in half. If younger veterans quit before the age of 40, their risk of dying from a smoking-related disease drops by about 90%.
American Lung Association was recently awarded $10,000 from Veterans United to support tobacco cessation programming for military personnel and veterans. Through this gift, the Lung Association aims to connect an additional 100 military personnel and veterans to Freedom From Smoking Plus (FFS Plus), help them quit smoking for good and reduce their risk of lung cancer. To claim their freedom from tobacco, military personnel and veterans are invited to register for their own FFS Plus Membership ($99.95 value). For questions, contact the FFS team. Help spread the good word today.
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Back to School with Asthma
Back to School can be a tricky time for any student, but a student with asthma may feel uneasy. The asthma team has worked hard to prepare students as well as parents with a plethora of asthma resources.
The American Lung Association's Asthma at School webpages have all been updated and are ready to share. These valuable Asthma resources include:
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MATCH Study To Determine If Telehealth Appointments Help Control Asthma
You or someone you know may be able to participate in a new Asthma MATCH study. MATCH stands for Medication Adherence with Telehealthcare Medication Therapy Management to Change Health Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults with Asthma. The goal of this virtual study is to determine whether having regular telehealth appointments with a pharmacist will help adolescents and young adults, ages 12 to 35 years old with asthma, better understand and use their inhaled medications and have fewer asthma symptoms.
The study lasts 1 year. Half of the participants will have telehealth calls with a pharmacist monthly for 6 visits, then every 3 months for 2 more visits. All participants will have 4 virtual visits with the study site about every 3-6 months. Participants will receive a study tablet for the telehealth appointments, sensors to attach to their inhalers, and a device for breathing tests. Participants receive a stipend for their time and effort.
To assist with the success of the study, you could learn more, share the flyer or direct interested individuals to the registration form. All assistance is appreciated.
The study is made possible by a grant from the National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Lung Association. These research institutions are part of the American Lung Association's Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network, the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical centers dedicated to asthma and COPD research.
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Big News! Juul Agrees to Pay 438.5 Million Settlement Over Marketing to Teens
Earlier this month, Juul agreed to pay $438.5 million as part of a settlement with 34 states over the way it marketed its vaping products to teens. The agreement, in principle with Juul Labs, resolves a two-year investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer's marketing and sales practices.
In addition to the financial terms, the settlement would force Juul to comply with a series of strict injunctive terms severely limiting its marketing and sales practices. The company also misrepresented that its product was a smoking cessation device without U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to make such claims, according to the investigation. To learn more about this settlement, read the entire article located on ABC's news page.
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Testimonials for Clean Indoor Air
To help with advocating for comprehensive clean indoor air for all Pennsylvanians, the PACT team is looking for your help to gather testimonials or stories. Stories should be from patrons, workers, or those who have been affected by the dangers of secondhand smoke through any of the venues that still allow smoking in their establishment.
Using your connections, Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT) is asking for your assistance with distributing this Clean Indoor Air Testimonials Survey to gather these testimonials; there will be incentives for survey respondents. Once they are collected, PACT is seeking to use them to develop impactful, legislative, leave-behind materials to educate legislators about the importance of clean indoor air, and to use them in materials for a media campaign. Please consider completing or sharing the Clean Indoor Air Testimonials Survey.
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Coalition Member Spotlight / Highlights |
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Leigh Valley Health Network - Now Hiring
Article by Lindsey Dietrich, LVHN
The Lehigh Valley Health Network has a job opening for a per diem bilingual tobacco treatment counselor. A brief description of several job responsibilities include: Initiates individual and group tobacco counseling and provides follow-up care through the cessation/treatment process; Collaborates with medical professionals for patient referrals; Participates in community outreach initiatives related to tobacco cessation; And, schedules and triages services for the tobacco treatment program. The candidate should be bilingual. If you or someone you know is interested, please read the entire job posting for further details.
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Community Garden at Northern Dauphin County Human Services Building
Article sent in by Eric Rothermel, Harrisburg Area YMCA
The Harrisburg YMCA has several communities that are participating in the Tobacco-Free Community Gardens Initiative throughout Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This flourishing garden pictured is from the Northern Dauphin County Community Garden's located on the property of the Northern Dauphin County Human Services Building.
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