Shore Health System is participating in World COPD Day on Wednesday, November 19 by offering two types of health screenings at Dorchester General Hospital.

COPD- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – is a highly preventable lung disorder that has a large impact on a person’s quality of life. Although the early stages of COPD are often unrecognizable, a simple test can diagnose the disease.

Shore Health System’s Center for Cardiopulmonary Fitness and Wellness will be offering pulmonary function testing for $5 on November 19 between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. At the same time, Shore Health System Laboratories is offering the cardiac risk lipid panel for $10. This test requires 12 to 14 hours of fasting.

Sally Worm, RN, Manager for the Shore Health System Cardiopulmonary Fitness and Wellness program at Dorchester General Hospital and at The Memorial Hospital at Easton, says, “The theme of this year’s World COPD Day is ‘Breathless Not Helpless.’ This positive message is a reminder that effective treatments are available to help people who have been diagnosed with COPD live a more active life.”

Worm adds, “We also want to raise awareness that breathlessness is not just an inevitable part of aging. People who experience breathlessness should make an appointment to see their physician and be tested for COPD.”

The cardiac risk lipid panel screening is being offered at a special fee as a service to the community. Worm explains, “Although the lipid profile is not a diagnostic tool for COPD, if a person has lung disease it is a possibility they could also have underlying cardiac disease since both the cardiac and pulmonary systems are so closely related.”

Dorchester General Hospital is located at 300 Byrn Street in Cambridge. To make an appointment for pulmonary function testing, call 410-228-5511, ext. 8201. To register for the cardiac risk lipid panel, call 410-228-5511, ext. 8341.