Thanks for joining us today.
So all week long here in across Kentucky,
Anna and across the country,
the American Lung Association is working
to turn the nation turquoise to raise
awareness for lung cancer and to inspire
action to help beat this diseas.
Joining me now is Advocacy Direr
Shannon Baker to tell us about
everything that they have plann.
And Shannon, thank you for being here.
So we have all the stuff,
all the merchandise that you hae
out to kind of spread the word.
I let's begin with the color,
why turquoise?
Well think about a breath of fresh air.
What color might that be and what might
that look like and and that lovely pin
that you have thank you this morning is
just that symbol a whoosh of fresh air.
So what is the turquoise takeov?
What message do you hope this pn
and and the color brings about.
So this is lung cancer action week and
every year at this time we work to light
the nation up turquoise in orde.
Raise awareness and took to lung
cancer incidence and to drive an
to defeat this terrible disease.
No more relevant anywhere else in the
country than it is here in Kent.
Are the numbers like higher in Kentucky,
like based on the national
average or kind of where are we.
So Kentucky has the highest
lung cancer incidence and
mortality rates in the nation.
That's the sad news,
but there is good news as well.
And so over the past 10 years,
we have seen a 40% increase in e
five year survival rate and thas
due to advances in things like y
detection and lung cancer scree.
And here in Kentucky,
we rank among the top five in the nation
for our work and early detectio.
That is good. Are there other
ways that we can make improvemes
to maybe bump those numbers up,
new things that you're looking
at that maybe other states are
doing that we should have here?
Well, so just this past legislative session,
we did pass a bill on biomarker
testing and that is tumor testig
to determine the specific type.
Of lung cancer tumor a patient
might have in order to allow vey
new targeted therapies to addres
that particular tumor type.
That's one huge advancement
and and what about can Renon
testing help, I mean is that
like something to to have that?
And to know about that in the he
and therefore we can go to our
doctors or get our homes fixed,
things like that, absolutely.
And that's the big one of
those things you don't,
you don't think about like
radon testing in this,
but it goes hand in hand.
It absolutely does.
And most people don't know that.
And so radon is a naturally occurring
radioactive gas that is present
in our homes and other buildings
where we work and live and play.
And we don't even know it becaue
it's odorless and it's invisibld
it's tasteless and you don't knw
it's there unless you test for .
And so I have a hugely exciting
announcement to make this morni.
So the Lung Association has entd
into a national partnership with
Kentucky's own Protect Environmental,
who will offer no cost radon testing today.
To the first fifty folks who reach out
and and and enter their informan
on Protect Environmentals websi,
there's a widget there
Protect environmental.com.
You enter your zip code and it s
you information about Radon in
your community and the opportuny
to get no cost testing today.
And that's that's great
news and that's great Peace of .
Oh it is. It is and so here in Kentucky.
Testing isn't required during te
home buying and selling transac.
It isn't even required in our schools
and then our daycare centers whe
our kids are every single day ae
need to do something about thats
that your next step with the legislature?
Next. I can see you're already planning.
What else can we go if you're already making,
you know, inroads with them?
Certainly I think bringing that
up and making that top of mind.
But yeah, get your radon testing free today.
Where can you go to get that?
Once again? Is there a number? Website
soprotectenvironmental.com and a
widget will pop right up and you
enter your zip code and then yoe
directed to a page and no cost.
Professional Radon testing toda.
Wonderful. Anything else that yu
would recommend that people can
do this week? Wear turquoise?
Wear the pins just to raise awareness
for what you're doing with the luggage?
Absolutely. We would love to hae
all the buildings lit up turquo.
We would love to see folks wear
turquoise this week and we would
love to have people register for
the Lung Force Walk which is Jue
3rd and and all you need to do s
Google Lung Force Walk Louisvile
and that's a simple registration
and a huge fundraising opportun.
For the lung Association too,
Shannon, thank you so much
for bringing the colors,
bringing the fresh air and
the good news to us today.
So thank you so much. Thank you for having me. For
more information, just
head on over to lung.org.