CVS Health Foundation Steps Up for Cleaner Air
Air quality is slipping, and the health costs are piling up. In response, the CVS Health Foundation is committing $3.5 million over four years to support communities across the country. The work will start with a pilot in Phoenix, done in collaboration with the American Lung Association, to help people better prepare for and manage the health impacts of polluted air.
Who’s Hit Hardest by Air Pollution
Air pollution harms everyone, but it doesn’t harm everyone equally. Children, older adults, people with low incomes, pregnant women, and those already living with health conditions—especially lung diseases—face greater risk. As the American Lung Association’s President and CEO, Harold Wimmer, has emphasized, people of color bear a disproportionate burden from air pollution and often have higher rates of underlying chronic illness. That unequal exposure leads to unequal outcomes.
Where We Stand on Air Quality Today
More than 131 million people in the U.S. live in places with unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate matter. Some measures have improved in recent years, but extreme weather driven by climate change—wildfires, flooding, and long spells of heat—keeps erasing those gains and creating dangerous spikes in pollution. Those conditions can trigger asthma attacks, strain the heart, and, in the worst cases, shorten lives.
What This Initiative Will Do
The CVS Health Foundation and the American Lung Association are focusing on support that makes a difference on the ground. The initiative will bring practical education and readiness resources to people living with lung disease so they can better handle “bad air days.” It’s a targeted approach designed for the realities of cities like Phoenix, where heat and pollution collide more often and with greater force.
Tools for Clinicians, Support for Patients
For healthcare providers, the partners will develop and share tools and resources that help them manage lung disease when air quality dips. The aim is simple: give care teams clear, usable support as air challenges grow more frequent and severe. For patients, the effort will encourage proactive steps—like creating asthma or COPD action plans—so they know exactly what to do when the air turns unhealthy.
Using Local Data to Inform and Engage
Community-facing campaigns will draw on local air quality data to help people understand what’s in the air they’re breathing and what that means for their health. That awareness can guide day-to-day choices, strengthen self-care during high-pollution days, and support community dialogue about practical steps to reduce exposure.
Focusing on Cities Facing the Greatest Strain
By concentrating resources in places shouldering the heaviest load—cities coping with extreme heat and persistent pollution—the CVS Health Foundation and the American Lung Association can reach populations most affected by climate pressures. Phoenix is the starting point, but the intent is steady: direct support to the people and neighborhoods most at risk.
Why Collaboration Matters
As Sheryl Burke, Chief Sustainability Officer at CVS, notes, community partnerships are essential to meeting the air quality challenge. Working with organizations like the American Lung Association strengthens local efforts, protects health now, and helps lay groundwork for lasting improvements as future generations face the realities of a changing climate. Clean air isn’t a luxury; it’s a baseline for health—and collaboration helps bring it within reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the goal of the CVS Health Foundation and American Lung Association partnership?
The partnership aims to improve health outcomes tied to poor air quality by providing education, preparedness resources, and support to communities—especially those at higher risk from polluted air.
How much is being invested, and over what time frame?
The CVS Health Foundation is investing $3.5 million over a four-year period to address the health impacts of air pollution.
Where will the work begin?
The pilot starts in Phoenix, a city experiencing significant air quality and climate-related challenges, with the broader investment supporting communities across the nation.
Who stands to benefit the most?
People living with lung diseases are a primary focus, along with children, seniors, low-income individuals, pregnant women, people of color disproportionately affected by pollution, and anyone with chronic health conditions.
What strategies will be used to address air pollution’s health effects?
The initiative will deliver education for healthcare providers, empower patients to create asthma and COPD action plans, and use local air quality data to build awareness and support informed community responses.
