Who We Are —

The National Lung Health Education Program (NLHEP), was initiated in 1996 as a new healthcare initiative designed to increase awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) among the public and health care professionals and to encourage the use of simple spirometry to make an early diagnosis and monitor ongoing treatment.

The NLHEP initiative is directed to primary care physicians, other healthcare clinicians, government officials, policy makers, health care agencies and especially to patients. Many societies, including governmental agencies support NLHEP, and financial support for our organization comes from a wide range of sources, including unrestricted grants from other non-profit organizations, patient advocacy groups, private donors, along with unrestricted grants from the pharmaceutical and medical support industries.

To view a roster of our Executive Committee please click here.

To make a donation to NLHEP, click here.

Brief History of the National Lung Health Education Program
Thomas L. Petty, MD

A planning conference in 1994 and a comprehensive workshop in 1995, sponsored by the Lung Division of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, preceded the launch of a new initiative, described in “Building a National Strategy for the Prevention and Management and Research in COPD” (Petty TL, Weinman GG: JAMA 1997; 277:246-253). With Tom Petty as the founding chairman, NLHEP was incorporated in 1996 as a not-for-profit entity. In 2000, Dennis Doherty, MD, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, was named as co-chair. In January 2004, Dr. Petty became Chair Emeritus and Dr. Doherty took over as Chair of NLHEP. The executive committee, which now includes representatives from all collaborating and supporting professional, patient, and government groups, generally meets at the times of the annual ATS and ACCP meetings. Financial support is provided by pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies.

Collaborative Model
Collaborations with the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American Thoracic Society (ATS), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACPR), and American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) followed shortly after incorporation. The list now includes the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, American Society of Internal Medicine, and Society of General Internal Medicine. Other organizations, including the National Emphysema Foundation, National Cancer Institute, National Emphysema/COPD Association, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, have since been included in the NLHEP collaboration.

NLHEP interfaces with numerous segments of the primary care and specialty communities, other health professions involved in COPD, various government agencies, and educational and health care institutions, including HMOs. NLHEP is supportive of and complementary to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), US COPD Coalition, and International COPD Coalition.

Promote use of simple spirometry testing for the diagnosis and treatment of COPD

Our mission is to create awareness about COPD as a major health problem. Research shows that as many as 50% of those with COPD have not yet been diagnoses, even though they may be symptomatic. NLHEP promotes the use of simple spirometry for diagnosis and monitoring of disease (including response to therapy) through its motto “Test Your Lungs, Know Your Numbers,” (“Office Spirometry for Lung Health Assessment in Adults: A Consensus Statement from the National Lung Health Education Program” (Ferguson GT, et al, Chest 2000; 117:1146-1161).

NLHEP has also encouraged the development of simple, accurate, hand-held spirometers with the Spirometer Review Process. This two-part document describes the device review process and includes a systematic check list of both required and optional features for a simple office spirometer. (Sehoh RJ et al, Performance of a new screening spirometer at a community heath fair, Resp Care 2002; 47:1150-1157).

NLHEP developed the COPD Awareness Poster Project to support the use of spirometry for those who can answer “yes” to any one of the following questions:

• Do you now or have you ever smoked cigarettes cigars or a pipe?
• Do you have a cough wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath?
• If you cough, do you bring up mucus with your cough?
• Have you ever been exposed to fumes that may have affected your lungs? (Click here to find out more about the COPD Awareness Poster Project)

Partnering with AARC in CME Seminars for Primary Care Practitioners
In 2000, NLHEP and AARC developed a strategic partnership designed to implement NLHEP goals and objectives at the grassroots level. Featuring a CME program for primary care. Assisted by pulmonary specialists who have attended “Train the Trainer” seminars, it is now possible to bring up-to-date information on COPD to primary care providers. For more information or help with planning a seminar on COPD for primary care, contact Steven Nelson, program Associate for NLHEP.

© National Lung Health Education Program 2002-2006