About Our
Organization
Driven by
our mission to promote healthy lungs and fight lung disease
through research, advocacy and education, Respiratory Health
Association of Metropolitan Chicago (RHAMC) has been
providing services and support to the individuals living
with lung diseases (including tuberculosis, lung cancer,
asthma, COPD, and others) throughout metropolitan Chicago
since 1906. As a local, independent non-profit organization,
our current priorities include the following:
-
Increase awareness of and resources for COPD and lung
cancer;
-
Reverse the asthma epidemic in metropolitan Chicago;
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Provide education and support to individuals living with
lung disease;
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Reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke;
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Improve indoor and outdoor air quality;
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Fund national and local research to find cures and improve
treatments for lung disease.
How Your Support Helps
Proceeds from
Hustle Up the Hancock benefit our mission. Did you know:
-
Lung
disease is the nation's number three killer, affecting more
than one million people in metropolitan Chicago.
-
Lung
Cancer kills more women than breast, cervical and ovarian
cancer combined.
-
Of the
five leading causes of death in the US, deaths from Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the only one still
rising.
-
Asthma is
the number one cause of missed school days and a leading
cause of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for
children.
-
Diesel
soot kills over 750 people a year in Chicagoland, yet
commercially available 'particulate traps' could reduce
truck and bus exhaust by 90 percent.
-
Over
36,000 Illinois teenagers start smoking every year.
For more
information about our initiatives, programs, and lung health
events, call (312) 243-2000 or visit
www.lungchicago.org.
