Crescent shines lights on lung disease

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine has lit its iconic Crescent blue through Tuesday, Sept. 25 in honor of Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive condition that causes scarring in the lungs, limiting oxygen intake. Vital organs may not get the oxygen they need to function properly. The disease has no known cure.

The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is one of 41 centers nationwide recognized by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation for quality of pulmonary fibrosis care. Its Pulmonary Fibrosis Care Center has clinics and multidisciplinary teams dedicated to diagnosing and treating the condition, which can be caused by and associated with other diseases but sometimes has no identifiable cause.

“Designation as a Pulmonary Fibrosis Care Center means we are recognized as having a multidisciplinary team, including pulmonologists, thoracic radiologists, thoracic surgeons, pathologists, rheumatologists, clinical research coordinators, respiratory therapists and nurses and patient partners, all dedicated to providing the best possible care for people with pulmonary fibrosis,” said Dr. Rebecca Bascom, director of the center.

The 50,000 Americans diagnosed with the disease each year will have very different experiences that range from relative stability of their condition for years to rapid progression that ends in lung transplantation or death.

“Previously, we didn’t have the tools to recognize pulmonary fibrosis that we do today, and it would be confused with other conditions,” Bascom said.

Hershey Medical Center hosts a Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group that brings together patients, caregivers and supporters. The group meets monthly to discuss topics of interest to members, raise questions and share tips. A separate support group for caregivers only meets bimonthly on campus.

Since 2013, the two support groups have fielded a team for the Harrisburg Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community each spring. The team, Sweet Lungs of Mine, pictured above, has raised more than $56,000 for the cause.

Support group members also attend the New Cumberland Apple Festival each fall to spread awareness of the disease. They use a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen levels of visitors and hand out information about pulmonary fibrosis.

To learn more about the Pulmonary Fibrosis support groups or outreach events, contact Max Whitehead-Zimmers in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at 717-531-0003, x286335.

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