Become a COPD State Captain: It's Easier Than You Think
If you had a penny for every time someone asked you to explain COPD - would you be a millionaire yet? COPD, despite affecting millions, is not a household term. In addition to fighting for breath, our community fights for awareness, research funding, and access to life-saving therapies. But we are fighting.
Join the COPD Foundation as a State Captain to make COPD world-known. Help raise awareness by participating in social media challenges or write your elected officials to protect access to respiratory therapists. Looking to do even more? Some of our Captains serve on data safety monitoring boards for clinical trials and others even traveled to the nation’s capital to be a patient voice for the National COPD Action Plan. State Captains are needed in all 50 states, and whether you have a little or a lot of time, are homebound or a rolling stone, we have an activity for you!
State Captains help us organize locally so we can make change nationally, and this year there is much work to be done. We will be working with Congress, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) on the National COPD Action Plan. For the first time ever, we will have a plan that maps out a path to address COPD by growing awareness, diagnosing it earlier and improving treatments, research and policies. We will need State Captains throughout the country to share the plan with their local officials, ask their members of Congress for implementation funds, and ask their members of Congress to support implementation of the plan and work with the community to help put the plan in motion.
Politicians got you shaking your head? Then join us locally to help raise awareness, increase diagnoses, and build a COPD army! State Captains participate in Facebook events, photo contests, health fairs, community fundraisers, and screening events. Have a great idea for spreading the word in your town? Let us know and we’ll work with you to make it a reality. Want to get involved but not sure where to start? We’ll connect you with other Captains who have hosted similar events or provide you the tools and information to get started.
As a State Captain you will receive regular communications from the COPD Foundation including exclusive webinar and teleconference invitations, priority access to upcoming events, and breaking policy news. We also provide you with a state email address so you can correspond with other members of the community without using your personal contact information. Becoming a COPD State Captain is simple, visit our brand new website at copdf.co/COPD-Advocacy to learn more about the program, sign up, and learn more about what we’re fighting for. On the site, you’ll find a brand new feature, the State Captain Meeting House, a password protected forum to share information, collaborate with other captains, get ideas, and share pointers. Become a State Captain and join us as we transform how the world sees COPD. Together we can find a cure - but it all starts with you.