Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, founded in Sacramento in 1917 as the Sacramento Society for the Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis and then the American Lung Association of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, has been a champion in fighting for clean air, healthy lungs and the elimination of lung disease in the Sacramento Region for more than 88 years. It is one of the oldest and most active nonprofit agencies in the Sacramento area, committed to serving the needs of the local community. Whether focusing on the community, building coalitions and consensus or working to make positive changes, Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails has made a positive impact on the health and well-being of Northern California residents. Their comprehensive approach to health issues is the impetus to their success.
With the establishment in December 1917 of the Sacramento Society for the Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis and, soon, the Sacramento Tuberculosis Association, the first health issue to be addressed by the agency was tuberculosis, or the White Plague. At this time, tuberculosis killed one in five Americans and was the main cause of death in the United States. Between 1917 and the mid-1960s, the agency performed community awareness and education programs, set up a free tuberculosis clinic and organized a well-baby clinic. The agency also established a summer camp for undernourished children, piloted a school nutrition program, instituted a free dental clinic for children and handled a mass X-ray screening. In fact, during World War II, the government secured all X-ray machines in the country except for the Sacramento group’s.
Three seminal events took place in the 1960s and early ’70s that led STBA to change both its focus and name. The first was the dramatic reduction in TB incidence. This reduction paved the way to focus on other lung diseases by the agency, which became the Sacramento affiliate of the National Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association, then the American Lung Association of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, and finally Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails.
The second event was the announcement by the Surgeon General that tobacco use causes lung cancer and is the major cause of chronic bronchitis. Today, it is known that tobacco is also the major cause of emphysema and a trigger for asthma. Upon learning this news, the agency realized any serious effort to reduce lung disease would have to incorporate reducing tobacco use.
The third event came from an increasing awareness of environmental issues and their relation to health issues. The major topic of concern was air pollution.
Starting in the 1970s, the local group would initiate three separate programs to reduce tobacco use. Efforts were aimed at discouraging tobacco use among young people of all grade levels, encouraging and supporting smokers in their efforts to quit, and protecting nonsmokers. These programs yielded a number of acclaimed projects including the passage of Proposition 99, a tobacco tax increase that funds prevention programs and ordinances prohibiting smoking in public spaces, all of which emanated from the Sacramento offices.
The organization’s fight for clean air has three dimensions: creating community awareness, enhancing air quality management programs and addressing specific air quality issues. The efforts of the association and many environmental groups brought success at passing the Clean Air Initiative and its funding for transit programs, which ultimately brought light-rail transit to the capitol. In addition, other programs dealing with agricultural burning, automobile maintenance, and land-use and transportation have helped to reduce air pollution.
Today, Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails continues to further develop and enhance programs and coalitions that directly affect respiratory health and disease. The organization sees a future of clean air and healthy lungs, and is working diligently to ensure that vision.
Click here for more information on why we changed our name.
