2022 Lung Sask Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

Lung Saskatchewan

Improving lung health, one breath at a time.

# Message from Leadership

Peter Fenton

Board Chair

Erin Kuan

President & CEO

While 2022 began to see the world breathe a little easier, the demand for the programs and services at Lung Saskatchewan grew significantly despite a challenging fundraising environment. Lower levels of giving combined with increasing costs to raise funds, continued to test Lung Saskatchewan to be incredibly innovative in its pursuit of our mission.

Education remains a key pillar for Lung Saskatchewan for our health professional and research and patient care networks. We remained committed to providing the most current, inclusive and evidence-based learning opportunities for all.

We continued to advance research through our partnership with Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) – funding three Saskatchewan based projects in 2022. We also launched our Community Research Representative program which ensures that the voices of those with a lived lung health experience contribute to prioritization.

We continued to advocate to the provincial government for changes to licensing of retail shops, sale of flavours and an increase in age to protect Saskatchewan youth against the harms of vaping and tobacco. At the same time we increased opportunities to support Saskatchewan people in their smoking or vaping cessation journey through a holistic approach in our Saskatchewan Quits program.

A few highlights from 2022 include:

  • Continued expansion of professional education opportunities to respond to evolving needs of communities and health care professionals including Indigenous Peoples centred care. Specifically we aimed to address calls #22-24, and #57 in the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.
  • Expanding our partnerships in our Youth4Change program in order to strengthen tobacco and vaping prevention and education for youth.
  • Increasing Radon advocacy, education and protection of more than 2700 homes.
  • Growing our action in reconciliation through partnerships, and archival work through the Care and History of Indigenous Peoples project. Specifically addressing call #69 in the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.
  • Expanding virtual patient and caregiver support and education including the Caring Breaths financial support program.
  • Collaborating and investing $100,000 in order to grow Saskatchewan lead research.
  • Investing in diverse development opportunities for our volunteers and staff to ensure we provide safe, inclusive and relevant education that best serves our communities.

Thank you to our individual and corporate donors and partners – your generosity makes it possible to improve lung health one breath at a time.

Lung Saskatchewan is very fortunate to have a group of dedicated volunteer Lung Health Ambassadors who share their lived experiences, which in turn inspires other to act and to give. We are also grateful for the members of the Board of Directors and our staff – their expertise and commitment is unwavering and truly fuels our ability to impact the communities we serve.

Peter Fenton
Board Chair

Erin Kuan
President & CEO

# Strategy, Mission, Vision, and Values

In the fall of 2020, Lung Saskatchewan created an interim strategic plan to guide our work through the pandemic. This plan factored that outcomes could build into a horizon of planning for the organization and fold in to an extended 3–5-year plan in the future.

‘Collaborate. Innovate. Inform.’ was born out of need for the Lung Saskatchewan to focus on it's four key pillar areas, over 12–24 months, delivering on mission during a tumultuous time, and maintaining its position as a trusted source of education, advocacy, and support for the 1 in 5 Canadians affected by lung disease.

Collaborate. Innovate. Inform.

Education

We offer best-in-class, timely, and relevant education opportunities for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

Government Relations

We work to advance lung health issues at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

Health Promotion

We develop and deliver evidence-based lung health messaging for youth, educators, professionals, and the public.

Research

We invest in what is important to our stakeholders, right here in Saskatchewan.

Our Mission

To improve lung health one breath at a time.


To achieve our mission we will:

  • Be a leader in respiratory health;
  • Enhance public awareness of the impact of respiratory diseases;
  • Advocate for increased support for education, research, and health;
  • Support research in respiratory health and disease;
  • Lead and support evidence-based professional education initiatives to ensure optimum numbers of trained professionals;
  • Foster innovation and partnerships towards lung health.

Our Vision

Healthy lungs for everyone.

Our Commitment

Improving respiratory health and quality of life through evidence-based education, research, health promotion and advocacy.

Our Guiding Principles

  • We value integrity, transparency and fiscal responsibility.
  • We treat every relationship with compassion, respect and dignity.
  • We strive to be a partner in Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

# Our Impact

Click the buttons to see how far our impact has reached

# RESPTREC

RESPTREC continues to respond to the changing needs of health professionals pursuing advanced training in lung disease and its management, and in 2022 launched an online spirometry interpretation course. Created by Dr. Brian Graham, lead author of the 2019 ATS/ERS spirometry standards, this online course is designed to give health professionals the confidence they need to interpret spirometry results.

 www.resptrec.org

Health Care Professionals Trained in 2022

Registrations for RESPTREC continue to grow and Lung Saskatchewan continues to respond to the increasing need of health professionals looking for current, evidence-based education on lung diseases like asthma, severe asthma, COPD, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

# Fall Webinar Series

Thanks to the generous support of our industry partners and the collaborative spirit of our key opinion leaders, we were delighted to host the 2022 Fall Professional Education Webinar Series in honour of November's designation as “Lung Month”.

Thank you to the following sponsors and presenters for our 2022 series:

  • Sanofi for sponsoring the October 25th presentation by Paraag Trivedi, BSP - New Vaccinations Against Common Threats.
  • Roche for sponsoring the November 1st presentation by Dr. Stacey Lok - Interstitial Lung Disease - An Overview.
  • Grifols for sponsoring the November 8th presentation by Dr. Lyle Melenka - Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.
  • GlaxoSmithKline for sponsoring the November 15th presentation by Dr. Brianne Philipenko - Severe Asthma - Optimizing Management.
  • Boehringer Ingelheim for sponsoring the November 22nd presentation by Dr. Shane Shapera - PF-ILD - What a Long Strange Trip it Has Been.
  • AstraZeneca for sponsoring the November 29th presentation by Dr. Mohit Bhutani - COPD Management Update.

# Lung Life Webinar Series

Lung Saskatchewan and GlaxoSmithKline have a long history of working together on activities to improve the lives of those on a lung health journey. In 2021 they joined forces and partnered on a new venture – Lung Life Webinar Series. In 2022 Lung Saskatchewan was grateful to be able to partner with GlaxoSmithKline for a second year. In this series, Lung Saskatchewan was able to bring key opinion leaders in lung health to those facing lung health threats, and to those living with and caring for, someone with lung disease. We are so grateful we were able to once again, partner on an activity that empowers people to live their best ‘lung life’.

COVID-19 Treatments

Dr. Satchan Takaya

Exercise After an Asthma Diagnosis

Dr. Scotty Butcher

Ask The Experts: Is It Your Time To Quit?

Dr. Erika Penz, Dale Roach, Cory Gambler, Dr. Jeff Taylor

Asthma Control: Avoiding the September Spike

Cinde Little RRT, CRE, CTE

PhysioYoga

Linda Boryski, PT

# Lung Sask Webinar Series

Providing learning opportunities for those facing threats to lung health, living with, or caring for someone with lung disease, is important to Lung Saskatchewan. Creating the Lung Sask Webinar Series allowed us to focus on these lung health issues. Guest presenters are health professionals who are key opinion leaders in their respective fields of expertise.

Self Care and Interstitial Lung Disease/Pulmonary Fibrosis

Shane Vandenameele, RN, BSN

New CPAP Equipment Options and Maintenance

Kiana Atrchian, RRT

Resmed's My Airview App

Randy Spilchen, RT

Pulmonary Rehab for People with Lung Disease

Tristan Etcheverry, ET

# Indigenous Care in Health Webinar Series

At Lung Saskatchewan, we are committed to leadership in health professional education and in this space are committed to doing our part to advance Truth and Reconciliation. We are working hard to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action in our work and in this series specifically honor calls 22, 23, 24, and 57. In the spirit of collaboration and innovation, we were grateful to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim in 2022, to launch and deliver this unique series.

Key opinion leaders in this series shared meaningful, candid, and extraordinary insights into Indigenous history and culture to inform our understanding of the Indigenous experience with health care, and to help shape our understanding for the delivery of culturally safe health care today.

  • Tuberculosis Care in Remote Communities by Tina Campbell, RN.
  • Indigenous Peoples, Health, and Reconciliation by Dr. Jaris Swidrovich.
  • Taking Action Towards Health Equity and Anti-racism in Health Care Practice by Dr. Sarah Oosman.

# Inspired Breathing Conference

The 2022 Inspired Breathing Conference – Virtual Edition brought lung health professionals including family physicians, respiratory specialists, allied respiratory health care professionals, respiratory educators, and researchers together online to network, and learn. This three-day event offered content that was diverse, current, evidence-based, and that delivered high value to all that attended. With a mix of guest and keynote presentations, and participative intensives, key opinion leaders from across Canada helped to deliver an exceptional conference!

Lung Saskatchewan is grateful to the many partners that sponsored and attended this event. We could not have done this without you.

Delegates from across Canada

Days of Education

Guest presenters

Education sessions

Interactive Workshop Intensives

# Caring Breaths Financial Assistance Program

Lung Saskatchewan, in partnership with Conexus Credit Union, helps Saskatchewan residents breathe a little easier by providing financial support to those that need it through the Caring Breaths Financial Assistance Program.

2022 was a year of tremendous growth for the program. Lung Saskatchewan was able to identify current gaps in lung healthcare and in response, changes to the program were made. These changes meant we were able to help more people in more communities across the province. Now that is impact!

“I recently discovered that Regina had the second highest levels of Radon in the world and it could possibly be entering my home. It mentioned that 1 in 3 homes have high levels of radon and is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Being a resident of Regina, having an office and bedrooms in the basement and a young family prompted me to take immediate action to further educate myself on this topic.

I decided to order a radon test kit online though Lung Saskatchewan. Testing was straightforward and inexpensive. I placed the test kit in a bedroom in my basement for 3 months and then sent it back for analysis. I received the results quite quickly. The radon levels in my home were higher than the recommended level so I decided to take action and remediate. Within 24 hours of the remediation being installed, the radon level in my home dropped below Health Canada recommended level. This has put me at ease.”

— Natalie C., Regina, SK

Thanks to the Caring Breaths program, Natalie received partial reimbursement for the radon mitigation system she had installed in her home.

Total dollars reimbursed

Number of applicants reimbursed

Number of communities served

# Support Groups

Lung Saskatchewan provides support and education to those on a lung health journey through its many support groups. These online communities continue to grow and continue to provide opportunities for likeminded people to connect with one another in a safe and supportive environment.

Support Group membership grew from 678 in 2021 to 880 in 2022 - a 30% increase! This growth demonstrates both the need and value in people sharing stories and lending their support to help one another live well.

Asthma

COPD

COVID-19

Lung Cancer

Lung Transplant

Pulmonary Fibrosis

Sleep Apnea

Smoking Cessation

Click on the support group to learn more.

# Saskatchewan Quits

In response to the high rates of tobacco use in our province, Lung Saskatchewan runs a smoking cessation support group called Saskatchewan Quits. We also led the Saskatchewan Quits Personal Challenge for the second year with the support of Johnson & Johnson/Nicorette,and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. We were also grateful to Saskatoon Co-op for generously donating gift cards for our grand prizes. This holistic, motivational, online support group is designed to assist anyone who would like to quit or cut back their nicotine addiction.

Title sponsor

The SK Quits month-long Personal Challenge campaign kicked off on May 31st World No Tobacco Day and saw participants take part in weekly contests, benefit from sample Nicotine Replacement Therapy kits, and attend an educational webinar featuring a pharmacist, a respirologist, addiction workers, and a Saskatchewan Quits ambassador.

The online campaign was successful in engaging 107 participants from across Saskatchewan. 79% of our participants had been smoking for more than 20 years, and 86% had made at least one quit attempt prior to enrolling in the program.

The Saskatchewan Quits Facebook Support group remains active and supportive for those who are on their journey to quit or cut back smoking.

“This is a great program it doesn't try to belittle you into quitting, offers support and alternative thinking. This is the first group I have been involved with that doesn't treat you as a failure just because you are having difficulty.”
— J.O., Saskatchewan Quits Participant

Dale Roach

Rhonda Waditaka

Thank you to our Saskatchewan Quits Personal Challenge Ambassadors for sharing their quit journeys to help others. You are truly an inspiration!

Quit smoking

Reduced smoking

Didn't quit, but reduced

The results were impressive! Of the participants who completed the post-challenge survey, 40% had achieved their goal. Of those whose goal was to reduce their smoking, 89% had achieved their goal. Of those who hadn't yet reached their goal, 75% had successfully cut back.

# Home Oxygen Program

Lung Saskatchewan continues to partner with The Government of Saskatchewan in its contract with the Saskatchewan Aids to Independent Living (SAIL) Home Oxygen Program. Through this contract Lung Saskatchewan is able to provide education/tester training, tester support, rural nocturnal oxygen testing, and home oxygen testing information and resources for health professionals and clients throughout Saskatchewan.

In 2022, Lung Saskatchewan recertified 97 home oxygen testers, trained 72 new home oxygen testers, and completed 575 overnight tests.

This program continues to ensure that those in need of oxygen at night are being tested and that health professionals that have the skill and training to do so are testing them.

Home Oxygen Testers

Overnight Tests Completed in Saskatchewan

# Government Relations

A key pillar in the work of Lung Saskatchewan is working with municipal, provincial, and federal governments to advocate for legislation regarding lung health issues such as tobacco & vaping, radon, COVID, and air quality. In 2022 Lung Saskatchewan:

  • Advocated the provincial government in an effort to encourage Saskatchewan residents to have provincial governments hold Big Tobacco accountable by running the ‘Stop Big Tobacco’ campaign. Tobacco continues to be the number one cause of death and disease in the world, killing almost 48,000 people in Canada every year. In 2012, the government of Saskatchewan launched legal action against the tobacco industry to recover the costs of treating tobacco-related illnesses. Smoking related diseases cost the Government of Saskatchewan $200 million in direct healthcare costs. This means taxpayers are currently bearing the burdens caused by Big Tobacco. For reference, in Canada, if there is an oil spill, the oil companies are on the hook to pay for their mess, we think the same should apply to Big Tobacco.
  • Alongside this initiative we presented two solution based documents to the government: Building a Healthier Saskatchewan: A Commercial Tobacco and Vaping Reduction Strategy and An Upstream Plan to Benefit the Saskatchewan Government: A Proposal to support Nicotine Cessation Drug Coverage.
  • Federally, Lung Saskatchewan provided consultation on both tobacco labelling and packaging as well as vaping products reporting regulations in an effort to improve protection against threats to lung health.
  • Hosted an MLA Reception, along with our Take Action on Radon Coalition partners, at the Saskatchewan Legislature to speak about radon and how to take action in our province. Our Tackle Radon ambassador, Christine Elliott shared her radon-induced lung cancer story. The team also came prepared with some asks for the government to increase radon testing, awareness, and action.

Radon Tax Credit

A key component of Lung Saskatchewan's work in radon is to educate and advocate to the provincial government on the risks of radon. As a result of our advocacy work, radon mitigation was included in the provincial government's Home Renovation Tax Credit in 2022, which allowed home owners to claim a 10.5 percent tax credit on up to $20,000 of eligible home renovation expenses.

Christine Elliot, Radon Ambassador, speaking to Saskatchewan MLAs

November 2022 Radon MLA Reception – Member of the Government of Saskatchewan and Opposition with the Take Action on Radon committee

Take Action on Radon committee presented to the Human Service Committee

Honourable Paul Merriman (Minister of Health, Government of Saskatchewan) meets with Jennifer May (Lung Saskatchewan) to proclaim November “Lung Month”

Honourable Paul Merriman (Minister of Health, Government of Saskatchewan) meets with Take Action on Radon committee to proclaim November “Radon Action Month”

# Youth4Change

In 2022, Lung Saskatchewan worked with Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation and Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation. The youth voice is strong and empowering.

The Youth4Change group from Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation created an educational video with support from their teachers and Elder Clyde O'Watch entitled Keep Our Tobacco Sacred.

In September the Lung Saskatchewan and the Youth4Change team, along with Elder Clyde O'Watch, attended the Treaty 4 Gathering. For the past 30 years, this annual gathering has taken place in the Qu'Appelle Valley to reconnect, recognize, and honour the spirit and intent of Treaty 4 which was signed at this site.

A student activity tipi was set up and we had the opportunity to connect with over 300 students and educators from across Southern Saskatchewan. Elder Clyde O'Watch shared knowledge about traditional tobacco and the team shared information about smoking and vaping. Educators were provided with kNOw vaping school resources. Students completed Youth4Change membership cards and made a personal promise to live in a healthy way. Our team was grateful for the opportunity to connect with other student activity groups and experience Treaty 4 Gathering events.

Funding and Partnerships

The Public Health Agency of Canada officially announced the funding for our Youth4Change project in a news release on World No Tobacco Day. Youth4Change also received funding from the Government of Saskatchewan's First Nation and Métis Relations Partnership Grant, among other wonderful sponsors.

# Radon

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in the soil and is the second leading cause of lung cancer. All homes have some level of radon. The question is, how much is in your home? You can't see, taste, or smell radon. The only way to know how much radon is in your home is to test.

Lung Saskatchewan works in collaboration with The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to provide homeowners across Canada with easy-to-use radon test kits, results, and support. To learn more or order your radon test, please go to www.HomeRadonTest.ca.
In partnership with

Tackle Radon Season 4

Tackle Radon Season 4 was bigger than ever! We expanded to partner with four lung health charities, seven professional football ambassadors and shared the story of two lived experience ambassadors. We also had scores of sponsors come forward to make this initiative possible. The campaign launched on September 1st and concluded on November 30th, wrapping up at the end of Radon Action Month. This three-month campaign saw live events, media interviews, a silent auction, and thousands of homes were tested for radon across Canada!

We were so grateful to Kerri Tucker and Christine Elliott for sharing their personal lung cancer stories to create awareness about the importance of testing for radon.

Kerri's Story

Christine's Story

Tackle Radon is powered by:

BC Lung Foundation
Lung Saskatchewan
Manitoba

Thank you to our 2022 Tackle Radon Sponsors.

Champion Title Sponsor

Take Action on Radon

All Star Sponsors

Game-Changer Sponsors

  • Fantech
  • Radon Proz

Touchdown Sponsors

  • ASV Sales (Canada)
  • Century 21 Fusion
  • Great West Radon
  • Performance Radon
  • Radon Controls
  • Saskatchewan Research Council
  • Swift Plumbing and Heating
  • Vent Pro Mechanical

Lab Visit

In September, the Lung Saskatchewan staff visited the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) laboratory. Our team was given a full guided tour of the SRC facility and got to see first-hand how radon tests are processed and analyzed.

CARST National Radon Conference

Our Health Promotion team attended the CARST Conference which took place from April 20-22, 2022 virtually. Our team presented “Working together to Take Action on Radon” on April 20th and shared highlights from the previous year, including Tackle Radon Season 3 and the high-level results of our national radon surveys, which were supported by Health Canada contract funding.

Radon Surveys

We signed a contract with Health Canada to conduct two radon surveys – one to our previous radon test kit purchasers regarding their awareness, attitudes, and behaviours around radon testing and mitigation, and the second to health care professionals across Canada inquiring about their awareness of radon and how confident they feel discussing radon with patients. We contracted Insightrix Research to conduct these surveys on our behalf.

In partnership with Health Canada, we presented the results of our two national radon surveys to scores of stakeholders across North America.

Saskatoon Home Builders Forum

We were invited to the Saskatoon and Region Home Builders Association Growth and Development Forum in December, and hosted a booth where we had the opportunity to talk with home builders about radon testing. Thank you to our radon testing and mitigation partners who joined us at the event!

# Air Quality

Lung Saskatchewan continues to sit on the board of the Great Plains Air Zone (GPAZ) which is a voluntary, member based, non-profit association that works with government, industry, and other public interest groups to monitor and create awareness of air quality issues in our region of Saskatchewan. As part of this work, Lung Saskatchewan was pleased to respond to a survey and consultation regarding Saskatchewan's six air zones.

Lung Saskatchewan is seen as an evidence based, and reliable resource for a variety of areas including air quality. In 2022, we participated in 23 media interviews on spring allergies and pollen, forest fires, and more.

# Research

Lung Saskatchewan is entering the fifth year of a partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) in a pledge to co-fund one million dollars in Saskatchewan research over five years. Lung Saskatchewan was pleased to co-fund 3 separate projects as part of the 2022-2023 SHRF Solutions Program.

In addition to the great partnership with SHRF, Lung Saskatchewan also provided support to numerous other Saskatchewan researchers and their teams.

Research We Support

Drs. Donna Goodridge & Alyson Kelvin

Innovation Grant to explore the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Drs. Arinjay Banerjee & Neeraj Dhar

Impact Grant to investigate how co-infection with Mtb and SARS-CoV-2 impact lung health.

Drs. Josh Lawson & Donna Goodridge

Impact Grant to investigate a virtual behavior change intervention in women with OSA living in rural areas of Saskatchewan.

Learn more about participating in research projects

# Donor Appreciation

Lung Saskatchewan is very thankful for each and every one of our incredible donors. We are sincerely grateful that you believe in our mission, and together, we are making a difference for the people in our community. Your gift plays a key role in helping people who live with a lung health issue, a chance to breath a little easier.

From everyone at Lung Saskatchewan, thank you for being a part of our lung family. Your support and generosity helps all Saskatchewan residents to improve lung health, one breath at a time. We couldn't do it without you! We will always be stronger together.

  • Casey and Karen Davis
  • Marlene Donally
  • One Anonymous Donor

  • ACT/UCT Club – Moose Jaw #1027
  • ACT/UCT Club – North Battleford #1028
  • Brenda Gelowitz
  • Don & Sue Cockcroft
  • Michael McEwen in Memory of Marie McEwen
  • John Thompson
  • Leslie & Irene Dube Foundation

 

  • Mary Biden
  • Peat Family Charitable Fund
  • Pennant Farming Co.
  • Peter Fenton
  • Darlene & William Sheppard
  • Two Anonymous Donors

# Ambassadors

Throughout the year we ask Saskatchewan residents living through their lung health journey to share their story to create awareness, encourage others to take action and raise funds for Lung Saskatchewan. We were honoured to share the stories of these amazing champions in 2022.

Click on the image to read each Ambassador story.

Audrey Olds-Ethier

Dr. Alyson Kelvin

Mona Eskes

Rhonda Waditaka

Sarah Sokoluk

Ed Cullen

Dave Parkalub

Finances

Complete audited financial statements

2022 Financial Statements

Statement of Operations

2022 2021
Revenue
Development 884,080 1,218,898
Grants & Subsidies 744,127 620,195
Health Promotion Programs 455,305 344,000
Professional Education 266,905 194,471
Contracts 113,737 112,240
Other Income 127,660 93,309
2,591,814 2,583,113
Expenses
Programs
Health Promotion 1,054,850 889,275
Professional Education 697,747 477,917
Development & Campaigns 632,200 620,754
Operations & Building 295,217 344,215
Research & Grants 107,701 164,490
Contract Services 94,938 93,492
2,882,653 2,590,143
Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses (290,839) (7,030)

Revenue

Expenses

Cashflow