Our Programs

CARING AMBASSADORS PROGRAM

The Caring Ambassadors Program supports individuals in gaining control of their health care, regardless of the illness they face. Remember, this is your JOURNEY; these are your CHOICES. Healing is possible; how you achieve it is up to you.

LUNG CANCER PROGRAM

The Caring Ambassadors Lung Cancer Program Empowers patients and providers with access to free educational materials, and resources; Educates communities about the importance of screening and to share current information with patients and their families; and Advocates for access to screening and treatment for lung cancer for all communities.

HEPATITIS C PROGRAM

The Caring Ambassadors Hepatitis C Program uses a unique approach in our work to address the elimination of viral hepatitis and specifically hepatitis C. We are honored to serve the community to help eliminate the largest infectious disease outbreak of our time

Outreach in Action

Caring Ambassadors Program sponsored the Health Pavilion at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland for 12 years. We provided free hepatitis C testing to over 3500 people in those years, identified 197 people living with the virus, and educated hundreds of thousands.

What we do

A Few of Our Services

My Choices: A Planer for Healing

MY CHOICES© is a tool to help you recognize and act upon what you can control in your health care journey to achieve optimal healing, regardless of the illness you face. It contains elements of a guide book, health planner, journal, and activity book to help orient you to and plan for the journey ahead.

Lung Cancer Choices© 6th Edition

New Release December 26, 2023!

Lung Cancer Choices© has been updated to reflect the latest in biomarker testing, clinical trials, and lung cancer therapy including immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, for Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) and Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

Caring Ambassadors is proud to have Lung Cancer Choices included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Patient Resources

What Drives Us

Our Mission

To improve the lives of patients and communities by empowering and educating them to be advocates for their own health.

Weekly News Update

My Choices© Update

Week Ending March 11, 2024

Oregon needs to listen to its patients
“More than half of Oregonians are living with at least one chronic health condition. One in four adults has a disability, and around 20,000 people receive a cancer diagnosis each year. Right now, our state is making critical drug pricing decisions that could make it harder for these patients to access the care they need. And it’s doing so without even giving them a seat at the table.”

Grant to Support Liver Disease Drug Development, Potentially Reduce Animal Testing
“Liver disease researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSM) will use a $7.8 million federal grant to build a new drug discovery center, which will test whether using human cells can replace animals in determining if and how a new drug works.”

Complementary Health Approaches for Pain Management Increasing in Popularity
“Complementary health approaches, like yoga or acupuncture, can be particularly appealing to patients seeking natural and non-invasive approaches to improve their health.”

Guidance on Use of Race, Ethnicity, and Geographic Origin as Proxies for Genetic Ancestry Groups in Biomedical Publications
“In March 2023, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a consensus study report titled Using Population Descriptors in Genetics and Genomics Research.1 Sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, the report is more than a discussion of the use of terminology; the authors of the NASEM report suggest a tectonic shift away from current models that use race, ethnicity, and geographic origin as proxies for genetic ancestry groups (ie, a set of individuals who share more similar genetic ancestries) in genetic and genomic science.”

Why Diet Matters for the Planet and Your Health
““The hottest year was even hotter than expected,” read a recent headline in Science. If, like me, you want to do more to stave off the worst, then cast a more critical eye on diet. What we eat has a major climate impact, because food production generates high levels of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that underlie climate change.”

Navigating nutrition facts and fads
“In a world of diet trends and conflicting nutrition information, it can feel like you are bombarded by tons of “solutions” for health improvement every day. The truth is there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to personal nutrition. Jaime Gnau, clinical assistant professor in the public health and sports medicine department at Missouri State University, brings over 20 years of health care experience to her role.”

Habitual Short Sleep Duration, Diet, and Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Adults
Question  Is there an association between adherence to healthy diet, sleep duration, and risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adults?
Findings  This cohort study analyzing data from 247 867 adults in the UK Biobank found that individuals sleeping less than 6 hours daily had a notably higher risk of developing T2D compared with those with 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Despite the association between healthier diets and reduced T2D risk, the increased risk associated with short sleep duration persisted even among adults with healthy eating habits.
Meaning  These findings suggest that adopting a healthy diet may not reduce the risk of developing T2D among those with habitual short sleep duration.”

Women who do strength training live longer. How much is enough?
“Resistance training does more than help us build strong muscles. A new study finds women who do strength training exercises two to three days a week are more likely to live longer and have a lower risk of death from heart disease, compared to women who do none.”

Walking 5,000 Steps Three Times Per Week Could Add Three Years to Life Expectancy
“LONDON, March 12, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–New research published by Vitality and the London School of Economics shows that sustaining a healthy exercise habit of at least 5,000 steps three times per week for two years can add up to three years to an individual’s life expectancy and reduce their healthcare costs by up to 13%.”

Demographic, health, physical activity, and workplace factors are associated with lower healthy working life expectancy and life expectancy at age 50
“This study identified demographic, health, physical activity, and workplace factors associated with lower HWLE and life expectancy at age 50. Identifying the extent of the impact on healthy working life highlights these factors as targets and the potential to mitigate against premature work exit is encouraging to policy-makers seeking to extend working life as well as people with musculoskeletal and mental health conditions and their employers. The HWLE gaps suggest that interventions are needed to promote the health, wellbeing and work outcomes of subpopulations with long-term health conditions.”

Hepatitis C News Update

Week Ending March 18, 2024

Gene Activity Study May Lead to Better Therapies for Fibrosis of the Liver
“A research team carried out an animal study aimed at better understanding the scarring process (fibrosis) in diseased or injured livers. They examined gene activity in two different mouse models exhibiting varying degrees of liver disease severity, also capturing certain phases of spontaneous regression of the disease. At the same time, important indicators of disease severity, such as portal venous pressure, blood markers of liver injury, or the extent of liver fibrosis based on liver tissue samples, were recorded.”

Atea’s antiviral treatment combo works for 98% of HCV patients
“Atea Pharmaceuticals’ once-daily oral antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) — a combination of bemnifosbuvir and ruzasvir — successfully cleared HCV within four weeks in 98% of patients in a clinical study, according to new lead-in trial data. The combination antiviral treatment was generally safe and well tolerated, with mostly mild adverse events, according to Atea. No drug-related serious adverse events and no treatment discontinuations were reported. Because the four-week efficacy of 98% exceeded the protocol-defined efficacy criterion of 90% or greater, the study will now continue with up to another 220 participants. It will assess the safety and a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after starting the eight-week treatment regimen. It also will evaluate failure to suppress HCV load, sustained virologic response at 24 weeks, and viral resistance.”

Resources for 2024 National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
“This year, National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) is on Wednesday, March 20. On this day, we pause to recognize the impact of HIV among Native populations and highlight the critical work happening in communities around the country to engage Native people, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, in fully ending the HIV epidemic. NNHAAD supports the Indigenous HIV/AIDS Syndemic Strategy: Weaving Together the National HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Referred to as the Indigi-HAS, the National HIV/AIDS Program for IHS coordinated its release. The Strategy complements the existing National HIV/AIDS Strategy and includes additional specific topics important to Indigenous communities. It adopts a syndemic approach, addressing HIV, hepatitis C virus, and sexually transmitted infections in an integrated way.”

Perinatally Acquired HCV is Better Treated Sooner than Later
“Children treated for perinatally acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) at 3 years of age will live longer and with lower health care costs than those treated at 6 years of age or older, according to investigators who indicate that their analysis model is the first to project life expectancy with age at treatment.”

FACT SHEET: The President’s Budget Protects and Increases Access to Quality, Affordable Healthcare
“The President and the Vice President believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. The Administration’s actions to protect and expand Americans’ access to quality, affordable healthcare have made a positive difference for Americans’ well-being and wallets. The Administration continues to build on, strengthen, and protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—and now more Americans have health insurance than under any other President.”

Lung Cancer News

Week Ending March 18, 2024

Nearly half of patients with positive lung cancer screening findings delay follow-up care
“Key takeaways: Delaying follow-up after receipt of positive lung cancer screening findings was relatively common. Patients with lung cancer had a high likelihood of clinical upstaging if they delayed follow-up.”

Lung Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Take Their Stories to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Lifesaving Research and Public Health Funding
“WASHINGTON, March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On Wednesday, March 20, LUNG FORCE Heroes—people living with lung cancer, their loved ones and advocates from across the country—will travel to Washington, D.C. to advocate for lifesaving research and public health funding. As a part of the American Lung Association LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day, the advocates will meet with members of Congress to share their stories, and ask them to support $51.3 billion in research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and $11.6 billion in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

GRAIL Announces Novel Risk Classification Test to Be Used in Lung Cancer Study
“MENLO PARK, Calif. & CAMBRIDGE, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)– GRAIL, LLC, a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, announced today that participants from Japan, via a collaboration with AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq:AZN), will have their samples tested using GRAIL’s novel risk classification test on its Methylation Platform. This assay has been validated for recurrence risk classification in newly diagnosed Stage I lung adenocarcinoma.”

Early Onset of Lung Cancer in Small Areas as a Signature of Point Pollution Sources
“At a small-area scale, the detrimental effect of air pollution on lung cancer is challenging to identify and measure due to the potentially scattered detection of pollutants and/or limited statistical power of available indicators. A novel method is presented to detect and quantify the detrimental impact of pollution in small areas by employing the early onset of lung cancer as a signature of pollution. Early-onset lung cancer may speed up the investigation of potential environmental hazards in a specific area, enabling public health officials or citizen committees to carry out geographical analyses.”

FDA Accepts NDA for Ensartinib in Metastatic ALK-Positive NSCLC
“The regulatory agency set an action date of December 28, 2024 for ensartinib as a treatment for those with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer.”

Study Reveals New Insights Into Immune System Role in Lung Cancer Risk
“Recent developments in cancer research have highlighted the vital role of the immune system, particularly in the notable successes of cancer immunotherapy. Now, a paradigm-shifting study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard sheds light on how variations in immune genetics influence lung cancer risk, potentially paving the way for enhanced prevention strategies and screening.”

Lung Cancer Replaces Breast Cancer as Most Common Form Among Chinese Women
“(Yicai) March 14 — Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the most frequent type of malignant tumor among Chinese women amid the aging population. In 2022, China had 402,000 women with lung cancer and 357,000 people with breast cancer, according to the most recent report by the National Cancer Center. The nation recorded almost 1.1 million new lung cancers, making up 22 percent of all new cases of diseases linked to abnormal cell growth.”

Immunotherapy Trials for Metastatic NSCLC: FDA Pooled Analysis
“In a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pooled analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bernardo Haddock Lobo Goulart, MD, and colleagues found that response rate and progression-free survival were only moderately correlated with overall survival in first-line immunotherapy trials for metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).”

More Tools

Stories of Hope

Living with Lung Cancer

We hear from people JUST LIKE YOU about their lung cancer journey. During this challenging time, we want to inspire HOPE.

Share Your Journey

Find peace, finding hope. The chapter of your journey has yet to be written – find your voice and capture what is important.

Living with Hepatitis C

We raise awareness of hepatitis C by empowering those who are most impacted to share their stories.

OUR SYMBOL

All aspects of wellness are inextricably intertwined. Explore the loops of the Integrative Health Ribbon to discover how integrative approaches can enhance your well-being and help you heal, no matter your diagnosis.

Remember, this is your JOURNEY; these are your CHOICES. Healing is possible; how you achieve it is up to you.

Join Our Weekly News Update

Caring Ambassadors Program provides 3 weekly news updates covering Lung Cancer News, Hepatitis C News, and My Choices© Update. Receive them delivered weekly to your inbox.

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