Collaboration is the theme this fall as two COPD Summits will be held in November in Massachusetts and Atlanta. Only a comprehensive approach will help fight the burden of COPD, a premise for both events.

The Massachusetts COPD Summit, scheduled for November 9th in Waltham, will focus on creating a COPD Action Plan for the state. The Summit will bring together the COPD Foundation, health care and public health professionals, the business community and those living with the disease to collaborate and create a comprehensive document that will articulate the rationale

and objectives for addressing COPD statewide. The Summit is also the first activity of the newly-formed Massachusetts COPD Coalition, which is committed to implementing the strategies that are recommended at the Summit.

Massachusetts is the latest state to step up to the plate and organize the community to help identify and implement ways to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment that COPDers receive in their community. Coalitions that have formed in other states have also addressed ways to increase awareness and influence policies with employers and the state government.

COPD Summits are the beginning of the long battle to bring awareness and resources to the problem of COPD statewide, says Miriam O'Day the COPD Foundation’s Senior Director of Public Policy. Bringing together the people who will be engaged in the implementation of a state plan is key. A full day of local and national speakers produces an opportunity to create a robust and sustainable strategy to tackle COPD in the local communities. However, I really like the broader idea of the Southeast Regional COPD Summit providing the platform for states to share ideas and enhance their approach through collaboration.

The Southeast Regional COPD Summit will take place November 15th in Atlanta, GA. This Summit is a bit different than the Massachusetts Summit in that it takes a new approach by bringing together the states in the southeast region to identify common goals and form a regional collaborative to

work on target initiatives. At the Summit, states in the region that have already started their own COPD Coalitions will get a chance to share their experiences and showcase their achievements to the states which haven’t addressed COPD yet. There are eight states involved in the Summit and only three have active COPD Coalitions, demonstrating the need to spur state-level action.

The participants at the Summit will hear from keynote speaker Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), co-chair of the Congressional COPD Caucus. There will also be speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and expert health care professionals and community activists.

The activities of the southeast regional collaborative will be determined by the afternoon’s series of interactive workshops, designed to present specific issues in COPD and discuss how to address them. Some of the topics will focus on providing good COPD care, proper diagnosis strategies and exploring how the COPD community can learn from the experiences in the asthma community.

Both summits are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. (Be sure to register early as space is limited.) No matter what your background is, make sure you are part of the conversation from the beginning by participating in a summit in your area. The Massachusetts Coalition and the Southeast Regional Collaborative will be successful at addressing only the issues that are brought to the table so make sure you are there, representing yourself and your perspective on the needs of the COPD community.

Both the Massachusetts COPD Summit and Southeast Regional COPD Summit are sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Meal expenses for the Massachusetts COPD Summit are sponsored by the COPD Foundation.

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