Organization Urges Congress to Increase Federal Funding for Deadly, Incurable Disease
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is launching an advertising campaign aimed at Members of Congress in support of its National IPF Awareness Week Sept. 22-29, 2007.
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The campaign, which includes both print and online ads, will kick off on Sept. 6 and urge Members of Congress to take action to increase research funding for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and to improve education and awareness of the disease in the medical community and general public. Prevalence of IPF has increased more than 150 percent since 2001. There is no FDA approved treatment and no cure for the disease that will claim 40,000 lives this year.
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"The silence around IPF is deafening," said Mark Shreve, chief executive officer of the CPF. "This campaign represents the voices of thousands of patients who are too debilitated to travel to Capitol Hill during IPF Awareness Week and speak for themselves."
The campaign will appear in print in Congressional Quarterly's CQ Today on Sept. 6, 12, 20 and 25, and in Congressional Quarterly's online publication HealthBeat the weeks of Sept. 10 and 24.
"This campaign is a critical component of IPF Awareness Week to advance our efforts to represent the needs of this community of patients and researchers as aggressively as possible," said Shreve. "Our goal is to get the attention of Members of Congress and their staffs to gain their support for increased funding for research, education and awareness while also furthering legislation that impacts IPF patients and their families."
The ad campaign was created pro bono by Jeff Hardy, owner of Floor Eighty-Four Studio in Los Angeles, Calif. Hardy recently lost his grandfather to IPF.
To view the CPF's ads, please visit: www.coalitionforpf.org.
About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
IPF is a lung disorder characterized by a progressive scarring -- known as fibrosis -- and deterioration of the lungs, which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. Approximately 128,000 Americans suffer from IPF, and there is currently no known cause or cure. An estimated 48,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. IPF is difficult to diagnose and an estimated two-thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis.
About the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2001 to accelerate research efforts leading to a cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), while educating, supporting, and advocating for the community of patients, families, and medical professionals fighting this disease. The CPF funds promising research into new approaches to treat and cure pulmonary fibrosis; provides patients and families with comprehensive education materials, resources, and hope; serves as a voice for national advocacy of IPF issues; and works to improve awareness of IPF in the medical community as well as the general public. The CPF's nonprofit partners include many of the most respected medical centers and healthcare organizations in the U.S. With more than 13,000 members nationwide, the CPF is the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to advocating for those with pulmonary fibrosis. For more information please visit www.coalitionforpf.org or call (888) 222-8541.
SOURCE Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
