iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

RHA is disappointed by the EPA's decision to repeal power plant emissions restrictions. This rollback threatens air quality for millions, especially those with lung disease. "This decision is a grave mistake," says CEO Rob Anderson. Full statement below.

resphealth.org

Respiratory Health Association Statement on the EPA Decision to Repeal Restrictions on Power Plant Emissions

RHA responds to the EPA's decision to repeal power plant emissions restrictions, calling it a setback for public health and air quality.

001

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

RHA hosted Senator Durbin today to raise urgent concerns about the FDA's first ever approval of fruit flavored e-cigarettes. Flavors like mango and blueberry are proven to attract youth to nicotine. This decision puts a generation at risk. Full press release coming later this week.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

We were mentioned in @CrainsChicago! 🗞️ "There is no safe amount of nicotine at any level. Flavored e-cigarettes are deliberately designed and marketed to appeal to youth, opening the door to a new generation of lung disease."

chicagobusiness.com

FDA’s approval of flavored e-cigarettes faces pushback in Illinois

The FDA’s reversal in approving mango and blueberry flavored vapes has drawn the ire of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

The FDA just approved flavored e-cigarettes for the first time in U.S. history. There is no safe amount of nicotine, and these products are designed to hook a new generation. Our youth deserve better. Read our full statement below: resphealth.org/fda-authoriz...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

A peer-reviewed CDC study on COVID vaccine effectiveness was blocked from publication after passing scientific review and editor approval. The findings? COVID vaccines reduced ER visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults by roughly 50% this past winter. Read more:

medpagetoday.com

Opinion | Here's the COVID Vaccine Paper the CDC Censored

Top health officials don't want you to read this, that's exactly why you should

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Canadian wildfire smoke has inundated the #Midwest today. #Indiana has called an #AirPollution Action Day and so did the #Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, check out RHA's essential tips for protecting yourself from wildfire smoke:

resphealth.org

Essential Tips for Protecting Yourself from Wildfire Smoke

During the summer, wildfire smoke from other states and Canada often impacts air quality across the Midwest and East Coast.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

🏭 Chicago’s zoning laws allow major polluters to move into already overburdened neighborhoods without warning. A new ordinance would require public input before new pollution sources are approved. 🗣️ Read what RHA’s Director of Environmental Health Programs, Brian Urbaszewski, has to say at:

chicago.suntimes.com

'Charlie Hustle's' slow road to possible Hall of Fame recognition

The baseball legend will be on the minds of many attending Hall of Fame weekend. Also, quantum science, genocide in Gaza, pollutants, undocumented immigrants, political ads, Trump, Coldplay "kiss cam"...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Extreme heat is dangerous, especially for people with lung disease. Add heat stress, and the risk grows. 💧 Stay hydrated 🏠 Stay in air-conditioned spaces 🚫 Avoid outdoor exercise Climate change is a public health crisis. RHA stands with those fighting to protect the EPA.

033

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

🚭 Illegal smoking and vaping on the CTA is a serious health issue and we need solutions that work! Check out RHA's Senior Director of Strategy, Programs & Policy, Erica Salem's Letter to the Editor of the Sun-Times urging Mayor Johnson to focus on enforcing existing fines. Read the full letter at:

chicago.suntimes.com

Mayor's plans to curb smoking on the CTA is well-intentioned but misguided

The problem is not ticketing, but rather collections of fines. And social workers on CTA platforms doesn't make sense since most breaking the ruled aren't mentally ill. Also, the Goodman's "The Color ...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

RHA will host a virtual Courage to Quit® Leader Training on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 5th and 6th, from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm CST. Participation in both days is required to complete the training. Deadline to register is July 31st at 5pm CST. Register today at:

resphealth.app.neoncrm.com

8/5 and 8/6 Virtual Courage to Quit Leader Training

Virtual Two-Day Training on Zoom Must attend both sessions to complete the full training Tuesday, 8/5, 9:00 am-12:30 pm CST Wednesday, 8/6, 9:00 am-12:30 pm CST Registration deadline: Thursday, 7/31 a...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

RHA is pleased to announce the election of Nicholas J. Lynn to the Board of Directors. A registered pharmacist and licensed attorney with over 40 years of experience, Lynn brings a wealth of legal experience in pharmaceutical regulation, post‑acute care, and healthcare compliance. Full statement:

resphealth.org

Duane Morris’ Nicholas J. Lynn Elected to RHA Board of Directors

RHA is pleased to announce the election of Nicholas Lynn, a registered pharmacist and licensed attorney with over 40 years of experience.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

RHA is proud to announce that Nixon Peabody partner John Ruskusky has been elected to the Board of Directors. Ruskusky is a seasoned trial lawyer who represents companies and individuals in high-stakes business litigation. Read the full statement at:

resphealth.org

Nixon Peabody’s John Ruskusky Elected to RHA Board of Directors

RHA is proud to announce that Nixon Peabody partner John Ruskusky has been elected to the Board of Directors.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Join us on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 for a free zoom webinar between 12:00 - 12:45 PM CST, as we cover #radon basics, #health risks, testing & mitigation, and a policy snapshot. RHA's Brian Urbaszewski, will be moderating. Sign up today at RespHealth.org/Radon-Webinar

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

🚨🚨Tonight, the U.S. Senate plans to vote on a budget bill that cuts over a trillion dollars in #Medicaid funding. If passed, nearly 12 million Americans will face being uninsured and millions more will receive worse care. Tell Your Senators to Protect Medicaid and Stop the 'Big Beautiful Bill!'

ujoin.co

PROTECT MEDICAID AND STOP THE SENATE'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL

Tonight, the U.S. Senate plans to vote on their version of the massive federal budget bill, which cuts over a trillion dollars in Medicaid funding. If passed, nearly 12 million of Americans will fa...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Do you live in the City of #chicago and believe people already overburdened with #airpollution should have a voice when large polluters want to locate in their communities? Sign a letter urging your Alderperson to protect the health of already vulnerable communities at ujoin.co/campaigns/38...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

In 2023, thanks to RHA and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America advocacy, #Illinois became the first state in the country to fund a statewide program permitting undesignated emergency #asthma medication in schools. Learn more about the successes of the program at:

futureofpersonalhealth.com

Fighting Childhood Asthma: Smarter Policies, Safer School Days

Asthma laws and policies enacted in 22 states hold significant potential to reduce missed class time and save lives.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2025 Summer Reception and joined us in congratulating our 2025 Solovy Award recipient, Dr. Wassim Labaki, alongside all of our amazing volunteers!

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Last Wednesday, 34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway, alongside RHA staff, introduced a resolution calling for stronger enforcement of the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) ban on #smoking.

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Check our RHA's Director of Environmental Health Programs, Brian Urbaszewski, discuss how to keep yourself safe during poor #AirQuality days and how poor air quality affects your #health.

wbez.org

Air quality, your health and what to do about it

Canadian wildfires brought some of the worst air quality in the world to Chicago last week.

010

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Safer than #smoking? Think again. It's time to bust some myths about #vaping !👇👇

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

RHA is proud to name Nan Sethakorn, MD, PhD, of Loyola University Chicago, as the recipient of the 2025 #LungCancer Research Award. Dr. Sethakorn’s research focuses on natural killer cells—immune cells that can directly kill cancer—and how lung #cancer cells may block their activity.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

RHA is proud to name Wassim Labaki, MD, the recipient of the 2025 Solovy Award for Advancement in COPD. Dr. Labaki is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and a provider in the Michigan Medicine COPD Clinic. Read the press release at:

resphealth.org

Dr. Wassim Labaki Receives 2025 Solovy Award for Advancement in COPD

Respiratory Health Association is proud to name Wassim Labaki, MD the recipient of the 2025 Solovy Award for Advancement in COPD.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Check out RHA's Senior Director of Strategy, Programs & Policy, Erica Salem, at the inaugural Ready Schools, Healthy Kids Summit on August 25–26 at the Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin!

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

RHA is alarmed by the abrupt dismissal of all CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices members. We urge Congress to restore the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices immediately and ensure critical #vaccine coverage for our most vulnerable communities.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Be smoke-smart this summer! #WildfireSmoke from Canada can drift back into #Illinois any time! And as RHA’s Director of Environmental Health Programs, Brian Urbaszewski, reminds us: “There is no level at which fine particles cease to cause health problems.”

wbez.org

Chicago's air quality ranked among worst in the world due to Canadian wildfire smoke

Another large fire exacerbated by climate change is threatening the health of Chicagoans. Government officials issued an air pollution "action day" on Thursday.

001

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

🎥 Check out RHA advocate Mia Fritsch-Anderson on the Whitney Reynolds Show as she shares how we can help destigmatize #asthma and support those living with it. 📺 Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-a...

youtube.com

Respiratory Health Association | With Whit

YouTube video by Whitney Reynolds

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

🌟 We're excited to co-host Reboot Your Network for a Better World with the @loyolachicago.bsky.social's Baumhart Center! 🌍✨ Join us on June 11 for an evening of purposeful #networking, light bites, and real connections with social impact professionals across Chicago.

111

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Last week, ComEd announced that the Illinois Commerce Commission approved its second Beneficial Electrification (BE) Plan, investing approximately $168 million over a three-year period beginning in 2026.

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that #COVID19 #vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy pregnant people and children. The Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet soon to issue a formal recommendation.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

¡Feliz mes de la conciencia sobre el #asma! ¡Manténgase atento a las señales de alerta y desencadenantes para que tenga un verano seguro y saludable!

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

🚨🚨TODAY ONLY: Our Associates Board is raising funds to support RHA’s vision of healthy lungs & clean air for all… and you can help simply by enjoying your favorite pizza! 🎉 20% of your order will support RHA’s Associates Board!

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Thank you to everyone who came out last week to #ClimateActionLobbyDay in Springfield, as we urged lawmakers to #ActOnClimate and #ElectrifyIL! Our focus is on a slate of bills that will double down on IL's bold climate policy & secure an equitable, affordable & healthy future for all Illinoisans.

120

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Wine and Design! Your generosity helped us raise over $80,000 with over 800 tickets sold! These funds will fuel our work in #Asthma, #COPD, #LungCancer, #Tobacco control, #CleanAir, and more. We look forward to seeing you in Spring 2026!

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Tell your Representatives to prevent the gutting of the CDC's Office of Smoking and Health! #Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death within the United States, with nearly 500,000 deaths per year. Since 1999, OSH has helped reduce the smoking rate from 25% to 10.8%. We can't go back!

ujoin.co

Stop the greatest gift to the tobacco industry in the last half century.

The CDC's Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) is currently at risk of losing it's funding! Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death within the United States, with nearly 500,000 deaths ...

001

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

#Measles still affects far too many communities around the world, putting vulnerable children at risk of serious complications. 🌍 By ensuring everyone has access to the measles #vaccine, we can protect families, strengthen public health, and work toward a measles-free future.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Currently, the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington D.C. is considering a bill that would slash nearly $880 billion from Medicaid and leave over 20 million Americans without health coverage. Take a moment to tell your elected officials to reject any proposal to make cuts Medicaid.

ujoin.co

Protect Medicaid Funding

There are very few times in life where something is truly a life-or-death situation; unfortunately, now is one of these times. Right now, the House Energy and Commerce Committee in D.C. ha...

010

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

On May 6th, RHA staff tabled at the Chicago Asthma Consortium. Senior Director of Strategy, Programs and Policy, Erica Salem, served as a panelist, while Program Director, Rachael Morkunas, and Program Manager, Jalia Wilkins, presented research on the Chicago Coordinated #Asthma Program.

010

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our friends at Ink Factory for their incredible generosity and creativity. Their talented team took the time to understand our mission and translate it into a breathtaking mural in real time during Wine & Design!

010

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

¡Actualización 2025! Por eso trabajamos para que todas las escuelas de #Illinois tengan acceso a medicamentos de emergencia para el #asma 🫡

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

🚨🚨 Congressional budgeters are proposing to enact a new federal charge of $200/year for EV drivers and $100/year for hybrids. For EVs, this tax is more than double what the average gas driver pays in the federal gas tax. Read the full letter at: static1.squarespace.com/static/602e0...

static1.squarespace.com

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Silent Auction & Raffle Are Live! 🥳 🔹 Bid on amazing entertainment, sports, and travel packages! 🔹 Enter our silent raffle for your chance to win a Monica Vinader Round Diamond Tennis Bracelet or an AirOasis iAdapt Air Purifier 2.0. Check out all the items and grab your raffle tickets at:

givebutter.com

Wine and Design 2025

Wine and Design at THE MART benefiting RHA

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Join us for a discussion on the future of asthma on #WorldAsthmaDay, May 6th. This event will bring together experts, healthcare professionals, and community leaders to explore urgent actions needed to improve asthma outcomes. Sign up today at: chicagoasthma.org/event-5995679

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

“When you gut the scientists and the people who know how that process runs, you have to rebuild that infrastructure...that could take years,” said Brian Urbaszewski, RHA Director of Environmental Health Programs, in response to the EPA's personnel cuts.

chicago.suntimes.com

On Earth Day, EPA union workers decry cuts to clean air and water regulations

Fifty-five years after the first Earth Day, Environmental Protection Agency employees and advocates call for help as the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations and lays off hundreds...

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

In March, U.S. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced the largest deregulations in U.S. history. “Deregulation is a nice way of saying allowing greater abilities to pollute and to put harmful toxins and emissions into our air,” said Rob Anderson, President and CEO of RHA. Check out full comments 👇

uscannenbergmedia.com

‘It is in direct opposition to a goal of community health’: EPA rollbacks under Trump

EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, announced 31 deregulations that will lower emission standards.

000

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Last Monday, RHA signed onto a letter with 100 other groups delivered to the head of the EPA, asking him to not roll back the soot health standard. Read it below.

010

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

🌍 This Earth Day, take action for clean air and healthy lungs! 🌱 Join RHA on May 21 for Lobby Day in Springfield! We’re teaming up with the Illinois Environmental Council to push for stronger environmental policies that result in healthy lungs and clean air for all.

100

Respiratory Health Association @resphealth.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Prices increase April 21. Get your tickets today!

000