This Independence Day, I want to honor our amazing team of IMPACT 2024 lung health advocates that I worked with in Washington, D.C., where we asked our lawmakers to take action to support lung health! On March 5, individuals with chronic lung disease, along with their families, caregivers, healthcare providers, and other champions joined the COPD Foundation for the IMPACT Lung Health 2024 campaign. This effort encouraged the United States Congress to support policies to make life better for those affected by COPD, bronchiectasis, and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease.

This year, we returned to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began for in-person meetings with our lawmakers. At IMPACT 2024, advocates asked lawmakers to:

1. Co-sponsor H.R. 1406 or S. 3021 to Extend and Make Permanent Medicare Coverage for Virtual Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
2. Co-sponsor S. 3821, the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act, or forthcoming House companion, to Ensure Medicare Patients have Access to Essential Oxygen Therapy.
3. Increase FY25 National Institutes of Health Funding and Prioritize COPD, Bronchiectasis, and NTM Research through NHLBI Appropriations Report Language.

IMPACT 2024 was the most fun I've had at the COPD Foundation and the best advocacy work of my life! Being part of this event allowed me to meet our awesome advocates face-to-face for the first time, which was amazing after so many virtual meetings.

I'm very proud of our IMPACT 2024 advocacy team! Advocates traveled from across the United States to join us in Washington, D.C. They dedicated their time and energy to support our priorities for lung health. Our advocates were not only dedicated to the cause, but were also friendly and helpful, stepping up when needed to make sure our event went smoothly.

Advocating alongside lung health patients was an amazing experience. IMPACT 2024 involved long days of training, traveling, and running from meeting to meeting. Our fantastic patient advocates worked tirelessly. They learned about our goals, shared their stories, attended every meeting, and even navigated the Capitol's underground tunnels. I was so impressed and inspired by their passion for making sure lawmakers understood our priorities and heard their stories. Patient voices are crucial in our advocacy strategy, and I am so lucky to be able to advocate alongside such a dedicated group!

Since IMPACT 2024, we've made progress on all our priorities. A House version of the SOAR Act has been introduced as H.R. 7829. The virtual pulmonary rehab bill passed the Subcommittee on Health and moved onward to its next committee stop. Sponsors and co-sponsors have been gained for H.R. 1406/S. 3021 and H.R. 7829/S. 3821. Close to 80 requests for our FY25 Appropriations priority have been submitted to legislative offices. Thanks to our advocacy efforts, over 600 calls to action have been made to lawmakers.

If you were part of IMPACT 2024, I'd love to hear about your experience on Capitol Hill and the work that you did! If you couldn't make it to Washington but still want to support us, you can urge your legislators to support our goals by visiting our Advocacy Action Center.