CHICAGO, July 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) today announced that eight new sites have joined its Care Center Network (CCN) to help serve the more than 200,000 Americans living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a devastating disease which causes progressive scarring in the lungs. Sixty-eight medical centers nationwide now offer expertise in accurately diagnosing and treating people with pulmonary fibrosis.

Fifty-thousand new cases of PF are diagnosed each year. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the most common form of the disease, has no known cause and no known cure. 

"Our growing network of centers has expanded to the states of Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon and Vermont, increasing coverage in new geographic regions," said Pauline Bianchi, Vice President of Research and Development for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. "Our goal is to continue to expand access to ultimately bring comprehensive care and expertise to more people living with this life-threatening condition."

The latest medical centers to receive the Care Center Network designation are:

• Creighton University, Omaha, Neb.
• Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Ga.
• Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, Ind.
• New York University School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
• The Oregon Clinic,  Portland, Ore.
• The University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, Vt.
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
• University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Ky.

Patients visiting CCN sites benefit from a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis, assistance with social services, and opportunities to participate in research.  Medical centers in the CCN have met criteria developed with both pulmonary fibrosis medical experts and patient input. All sites offer multi-disciplinary teams with expertise in pulmonary medicine, rheumatology, radiology, pathology, and dedicated clinical staff.

Centers collaborate with the PFF to actively engage their local PF communities with resources including support groups, educational activities and materials for patients, caregivers and their loved ones.  

The 68 sites now operating in the PFF Care Center Network are:

Alabama

University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham)

Arizona

St. Joseph's Hospital (Phoenix)

Banner University Medical Center (Phoenix) 

University of Arizona (Tucson)

California

Stanford Health Center (Palo Alto)

University of California at Davis Interstitial Lung Disease Program (Sacramento)

University of California at Los Angeles (Los Angeles)

University of California at San Francisco (San Francisco)

Colorado

National Jewish Health (Denver)

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora)

Connecticut

Yale School of Medicine (New Haven)

Florida

Cleveland Clinic Florida (Weston)

University of Florida (Gainesville)

University of Miami (Miami)

Georgia

Emory University Hospital (Atlanta) NEW

Piedmont Healthcare (Atlanta)

Illinois

Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood)

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago)

University of Chicago (Chicago)

Indiana

Indiana University Health (Indianapolis) NEW

Iowa

University of Iowa (Iowa City)

Kansas

The University of Kansas Hospital (Kansas City)

Kentucky

University of Kentucky Research Foundation (Lexington) NEW

University of Louisville School of Medicine (Louisville)

Louisiana

Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans)

Maryland

Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore)

University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore)

Massachusetts

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston)

Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center (Boston)

Michigan

Henry Ford Health System (Detroit)

Spectrum Heath System (Grand Rapids)

University of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor)

Minnesota

University of Minnesota Medical Center (Minneapolis)

Mayo Clinic (Rochester)

Missouri

St. Luke's Hospital (Chesterfield)

Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis)

Nebraska

Creighton University (Omaha) NEW

New York

Columbia University Medical Center (New York)

New York University School of Medicine (New York) NEW

Stony Brook University Hospital (Stony Brook)

University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester)

Weill-Cornell Medical Center (New York)

North Carolina

Duke University Medical Center (Durham)

LeBauer Health Care at Cone Health (Greensboro)

Ohio

Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland)

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus)

University of Cincinnati Medical Center (Cincinnati)

Oregon

The Oregon Clinic (Portland) NEW

Pennsylvania

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey)

Temple Health (Philadelphia)

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia) NEW

University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Hospital (Providence)

South Carolina

Medical University of South Carolina, (Charleston)

Tennessee

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville)

Texas

Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas)

Houston Methodist Hospital (Houston)

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas)

University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston)

The University of Texas Health Science Center ( San Antonio)

Utah

University of Utah Health Care (Salt Lake City)

Vermont

The University of Vermont Medical Center (Burlington) NEW

Virginia

Inova Fairfax Medical Campus (Falls Church)

University of Virginia Health Systems (Charlottesville)

Washington

University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle)

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin (Madison)

About the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation mobilizes people and resources to provide access to high quality care and leads research for a cure so people with pulmonary fibrosis will live longer, healthier lives. The PFF collaborates with physicians, organizations, patients, and caregivers worldwide. The PFF has a three-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity.  For more information, visit pulmonaryfibrosis.org or call 844.TalkPFF (844.825.5733) or 312.587.9272 from outside the U.S.

Contact: Dorothy Coyle

773-332-6201

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SOURCE The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation