LARNED — The Pawnee Valley Community Hospital’s respiratory department has scheduled three free pre-screenings that could help identify someone who is at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
COPD refers to a group of lung diseases that block airflow and make breathing difficult.
Monday — Sweets & Eats, 7-9 a.m.; Wednesday — Scraps, 4-8 p.m.; Nov. 15 — Pawnee County Courthouse, first floor, Noon-5 p.m.
DRIVE4COPD is a multi-year public health initiative to screen the millions of people who may be at risk for COPD.  As many as 24 million Americans have COPD but approximately half don’t know it and remain undiagnosed.
Led by the COPD Foundation, DRIVE4COPD aims to help people identify symptoms of COPD and take action. This large-scale education and awareness campaign is working to help bring COPD to the forefront.
All Americans aged 35 or older are encouraged to take a brief, five-question screener to see if they might be at risk for COPD. If the screener indicates risk, patients are encouraged to take the next step and speak with their healthcare professional or call the C.O.P.D. Information Line (1-866-316-2673) to discuss what their score may mean.  Because COPD is a progressive disease that causes irreversible lung damage, early diagnosis and disease management are critical to helping patients breathe better in the future.
DRIVE4COPD is working to educate Americans with the message that early COPD screening and detection may help those with COPD to breathe easier.