As the one year anniversary of changing its name approaches, Breathe New Hampshire joined nearly twenty other independent respiratory health organizations in Washington, D.C. at the first United for Lung Health Advocacy Day in mid-May. This marked Breathe New Hampshire’s first foray into advocating for healthy breathing at the federal level.
Breathe New Hampshire joined representatives of the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, the Alpha-1 Foundation, the American Respiratory Alliance of Western PA, Breathe California, the COPD Foundation, Arkansas Respiratory Health Association, Chicago Thoracic Society and the National Lung Cancer Partnership, and others in calling attention to the challenges those living with lung disease face and to the necessity of preventing lung disease before it starts.
“I was one of six representatives who made the trip from Breathe New Hampshire, including our 2008 Volunteer of the Year, Vincent Kanhai-Singh. Vinnie is actually living with COPD. He is a great spokesperson for our mission,” said Daniel Fortin, President of the New Hampshire non-profit. “Our delegation met with Senator Judd Gregg, as well as with staff members from the offices of Senator John Sununu, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter and Congressman Paul Hodes. We were very pleased to have secured meeting time with each of our federal legislators,” said Fortin.
“Our purpose in visiting was to discuss current proposed legislation that is important to our mission, such as giving the FDA regulation of tobacco products, legislation on Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation and increased funding of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was also a good opportunity to introduce ourselves as Breathe New Hampshire,” said Dan Aiello, President of Breathe New Hampshire’s Board of Directors.
Breathe New Hampshire, formerly the American Lung Association of New Hampshire, broke away from the national American Lung Association by a unanimous vote of its Board of Directors in 2007. To date, nine other former local affiliates of the National Organization have followed suit. The break was due to the national organization’s shift to a regionalization model. “New Hampshire would have become part of a large New England Lung Association,” said Aiello. “Our Board takes its obligation to the people of our state very seriously. We agreed to remain independent, which actually gives Breathe New Hampshire much more flexibility in its programming and education campaigns. Plus, donations made to Breathe New Hampshire stay in the Granite State and help our residents,” he added. “The only exception is an allocation of dollars to funding scientific research. We intend to continue funding some of the National organization’s research.”
Others included in the New Hampshire delegation were Diane Smogor, Vice President of Program Services and Claira Monier and John Santos, members of the Board of Directors.
Breathe New Hampshire has served the people of New Hampshire for over 90 years. Through education, advocacy, research, and partnerships, the organization works to eliminate lung disease and improve the quality of life for those living with lung disease. If you would like to learn more about Breathe New Hampshire or would like to volunteer or donate, visit www.breathenh.org.
Information added by Beth D'Ovidio, Director of PR/Communications, Breathe New Hampshire