Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center is known for its multitude of free program offerings, and the Better Breather’s Club may just be its best program available.

The Better Breathers Club is a resource of the American Lung Association in California. This program is aimed at building and educating a community of people dealing with chronic lung and respiratory conditions. There are some 38 different clubs in the state of California, and Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center is proud to host one of them.

The club meets at Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center every second Wednesday of the month from 12:00-1:00pm. Their website says, “The purpose of the club is to offer patient-centered, community-based educational opportunities and support to persons with chronic lung diseases […]”

“We have a lot of people with different diseases in the club, but you would be surprised to learn how much they all have in common,” said the director of the program at Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center. “They may have different medical issues, but they all understand what it’s like to live with a chronic disease. That common understanding gives them the ability to relate to each other, and it helps them through the process.”

Community event meetings at Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center give members the chance to become educated on a variety of different topics. These include breathing techniques, medication and treatment options, medical tests, and information on home health care. The American Lung Association says: “If you feel alone and isolated, these support groups can help.” Many members of the Better Breathers Club at Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center can attest to this. Most find the meetings to be as productive for their overall health and wellbeing. “I hear time and time again from members that they feel more hopeful when they leave club meetings. They no longer feel alone in their fight, but they know other people are working through the same issues,” said the Better Breathers Club director at Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center.

Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center plans to continue offering the Better Breathers Club in 2014 and beyond.