FINDING COMMON GROUND
Breathing Room: Advocacy in Pulmonary Care
by Sonia Compton, MD
When we think of patient advocacy, public policy action often comes to mind— legislation, laws and regulations. However, in pulmonary health and antismoking initiatives, critical advocacy also happens in day-to-day interactions between health care providers, patients, families and community partners. From emotional support and education to collaboration with nonprofits like the American Lung Association, these non-legislative efforts can play a powerful, often lifechanging, role.
In the world of lung health, we often speak in statistics: the millions affected by smoking-related illness, the burden on the health care system, the staggering costs. But behind every number is a person: someone who may not need legislation to feel supported. Patients and their loved ones need to be seen and heard.
Realizing that is when I began to see advocacy differently, not as something distant or legislative, but as something deeply human. Advocacy, for me, became about sitting with people in their anxiety or fear, and offering more than clinical advice. It meant learning to speak plainly about difficult things. It meant listening more than speaking. It meant venturing out into the community. It meant not just medicine, but healing.
I began working with the American Lung Association 1 peripherally several years ago. Their mission had always resonated with me, but I hesitated to get deeply involved in their legislative efforts, worried I might be seen as too political. I told myself I was staying neutral, but the truth was more complicated. I started to realize that neutrality can sometimes look a lot like inaction. I had to wake up to the world my patients were living in— the daily realities of chronic illness, health
inequities and the lifelong effects of tobacco addiction— and understand that advocacy isn’ t passive. It requires action, whether or not it involves politics. I found that ability to truly advocate for my patients through my work with the Lung Association. It gave me a platform that extended beyond the clinic, one where I could educate, support and connect with others who were just as committed to improving lung health.
Support:
Often, patients and their loved ones simply need to be heard. More than medical advice or treatment plans, they crave connection, validation and the chance to speak without judgment. The American Lung Association creates space for that. Through programs like the Better Breathers Clubs 2— peer-led support groups guided by Lung Association-trained facilitators— patients gain not only education, but community. These groups offer something many clinical settings struggle to provide: the chance for patients to feel understood. In that shared space, people find confidence in managing their health, and often, for the first time, a sense of control over their journey with lung disease.
Education:
Too often, patients are underinformed about their disease processes. This gap in understanding can leave them feeling overwhelmed and disempowered. The American Lung Association works to bridge that gap with a wide range of accessible resources— many available in person and even more online. These tools cover everything from specific lung diseases to broader public health topics, such as how to protect lung health during extreme weather events. 3 Patients can get
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