2005 STATES AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

 

Annually since 2001 a majority of the States' Governors have proclaimed November as COPD Awareness Month in their respective States. The Governors' names and their email addresses are listed in the Table below. (If a State's proclamation for an earlier year is available on the Internet, it can be viewed by clicking on the underlined State name). Now is the time for each of us to write our State Governor at the address on the Table below and ask that he/she (again) proclaim November as COPD Awareness Month in their State.

 

Compose your own letter, or use the sample letter here by simply copying it to an email and signing it with your own name and address). Either way, though, please send a letter, and please let fbarrettao@aol.com know that you did so.

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Dear Governor

 

Since 2001 a majority of the States' Governors have annually proclaimed November as COPD Awareness Month in their respective States.  COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the fourth largest killer in America, and the only one of the major killers for which the rate is actually increasing from year to year.

 

The National Institutes of Health provides these latest published facts about COPD (for the years 2000-2001):

 - 12.1 million adults in the US have been diagnosed with COPD by a physician.

 - About 24 million adults in the US have symptoms of impaired lung function, indicating that COPD is under-diagnosed.

 - About 119,000 adults died of COPD in the US in 2000. Unless the rate of increase is slowed, it may well be the third leading cause by 2020.  

 - COPD accounted for 8 million office visits to doctors, 1.5 million ER visits, and 726,000 hospitalizations, and cost the US economy about $32.1 billion in 2000.

It is an insidious disease, and a progressive one. Obvious symptoms do not appear until is far advanced. Even though simple diagnostic tools are available, patients do not visit doctors early on when much damage could still be prevented.  Greater awareness of this disease, especially among the general public, is thus a very necessary first step in combating it.

 

Simply increasing public awareness could result in earlier diagnosis, less severity, and a significant reduction in the prevalence of COPD. I am a COPD patient and a member of EFFORTS, a group of about 2500 patients actively working not only to get improved care for the millions now afflicted, but also and equally for education and action to prevent the development of millions more in the future.

 

On behalf of myself and EFFORTS, I ask that you once again declare November as COPD Awareness Month.  Your proclamation can be an important contribution toward reducing the costs and suffering associated with this disease.

 

Sincerely,

 

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STATE	GOVERNOR	GOVERNOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS
AL	Bob Riley	http://www.governor.state.al.us/email/contact_form.htm
AK	Frank H. Murkowski	mailto:office_of_the_governor@gov.state.ak.us
AZ	Janet Napolitano	http://www.governor.state.az.us/post/feedback.asp
AR	Mike Huckabee	http://www.arkansas.gov/governor/formpop.html
CA	Arnold Schwarzenegger	http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
CO	Bill Owens	governorowens@state.co.us
CT	M. Jodi Rell	Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us
DC	Tony Williams (Mayor)	http://dc.gov/atd/atd_askthemayor.asp
DE	Ruth Ann Minner	http://www.state.de.us/governor/comments.shtml
FL	Jeb Bush	jeb.bush@myflorida.com
GA	Sonny Perdue	http://gov.state.ga.us/contact_dom.shtml
HI	Linda Lingle	http://www.hawaii.gov/gov/gov/email
ID	Dirk Kempthorne	http://www.state.id.us/gov/correspondence.htm
IL	Rod R. Blagojevich	http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
IA	Thomas Vilsack	http://www.state.ia.us/government/governor/comments/capitol_correspond/index.html
IN	Mitch Daniels	http://www.ai.org/gov/contact/index.html
KS	Kathleen Sebelius	http://www.ksgovernor.org/contact.html
KY	Ernie Fletcher	http://governor.ky.gov/contact.htm
LA	Kathleen Blanco	http://www.gov.state.la.us/govemail.asp
ME	John Elias Baldacci	governor@maine.gov
MA	Mitt Romney	http://www.mass.gov/Agovwebmail/WebMailPageControl.ser?level=101
MD	Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.	http://www.gov.state.md.us/
MI	Jennifer M. Granholm	http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---,00.html
MN	Tim Pawlenty	tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us
MS	Haley Barbour	http://www.governorbarbour.com/Data/Services/Services.asp
MO	Matt Blunt	http://www.gov.mo.gov/constituentform.htm
MT	Brian Schweitzer	http://www.discoveringmontana.com/gov/contact.htm
NE	Dave Heineman	http://gov.nol.org/proclamations/proclamation.html
NV	Kenny Guinn	http://gov.state.nv.us/mailgov.htm
NH	John Lynch	http://www.egov.nh.gov/governor/goveforms/comments.asp
NJ	Richard Codey	http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html
NC	Michael F. Easley	http://www.governor.state.nc.us/email.asp?to=1
ND	John Hoeven	governor@state.nd.us
NM	Bill Richardson	http://www.governor.state.nm.us/emailchoice.php?mm=6
NY	George E. Pataki	http://www.state.ny.us/governor/
OH	Bob Taft	http://governor.ohio.gov/contactinfopage.asp
OK	Brad Henry	http://www.governor.state.ok.us/message.php
OR	Ted Kulongoski	http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/contact_us.shtml
PA	Edward G Rendell	http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html
PR	Sila M. Calderón	http://www.gobierno.pr/GPRPortal/StandAlone/ContactUs.aspx
RI	Donald L. Carcieri	http://www.governor.state.ri.us/webform/inquirytest.php
SC	Mark Sanford	http://www.scgovernor.com/Contact.asp?sitecontentid=33
SD	Mike Rounds	http://www.state.sd.us/governor/
TN	Phil Bredesen	phil.bredesen@state.tn.us
TX	Rick Perry	http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/contact_email.htm
UT	Jon Huntsman, Jr	http://www.governor.utah.gov/goca/form_governor.html
VA	Mark R. Warner	http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Contact/email_form.html
VT	James Douglas	http://www.vermont.gov/governor/contact.html
WA	Christine Gregoire	http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/govemail.htm
WI	Jim Doyle	http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/contact.asp
WY	Dave Freudenthal	http://wyoming.gov/governor/contactgovernor.asp
WV	Joe Manchin III	http://www.wvgov.org/New_eform.cfm

 

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EFFORTS
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