Lung Health News, Spring/Summer 2006
After Christine Conboy’s four-year-old son was diagnosed with asthma, she started to worry about the medications he had been prescribed. So she called the American Lung Association’s Lung HelpLine and got the answers she needed.
“I started wondering if he was taking his inhaler for nothing. Was it really necessary?” says Conboy, who lives in San Dimas. “I decided I needed to know more about the disease and how the medications work. It was great having a live person to talk to.”
The nationwide Lung HelpLine is staffed by trained respiratory therapists, registered nurses and quit-smoking specialists who answer lung health questions Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. central time. The HelpLine can be reached by calling 1.800.LUNG.USA. Questions can also be asked online at www.lungusa.org.
“Most of the questions can be answered right away, but sometimes we have to call people back with the information,” says Lynda Preckwinkle, HelpLine manager. “Much of the time we know the answer because our staff have years of experience in respiratory health and are very knowledgeable. We also have a wealth of resources at our fingertips. But once in a while we get a question we have to research.”
The HelpLine call center is located in Springfield, Illinois and was started by the American Lung Association of Illinois in 1999. It went nationwide in 2004 and now handles about 8,000 calls a month.
“We are not trying to take the place of a physician. We don’t diagnose or treat disease,” Preckwinkle says. “We provide accurate and concise information because knowledge is power and lung disease can be very confusing.”
Nationwide Service Supports Local Programs
The HelpLine is designed to support services already provided by local American Lung Associations and callers are regularly referred to local programs.
“Often people don’t realize a support system exists in their own backyards,” Preckwinkle explains.
Sandra Molina agrees. Soon after she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), she realized she had a lot of questions about her condition. She called the HelpLine and not only got answers to her questions, she also received a referral to her local Better Breathers Club support group for people with lung disease.
“The HelpLine was wonderful,” says the Lakeport resident. “They told me what to expect with this disease and sent me some very informative brochures. They also told me about Better Breathers, so I’m going to the next meeting.”
The HelpLine is also a valuable resource for busy school nurses who can sometimes be overwhelmed by the sheer number of students with asthma. Asthma rates have nearly doubled in the last two decades.
“There is a lot of information out there about asthma, but I can’t always get my hands on it,” says Julie Scarberry, a school nurse in Sacramento. “I was working with a family who has a child with asthma and I needed some quick answers, so I called the HelpLine. It’s an excellent resource and having someone I could talk to was a real plus.”
