Caught in the middle over American Lung Association squabble

TOPPENISH -- In her own way, Carollee Wentz is protesting the ongoing, bitter dispute between two nonprofit organizations that are supposed to be protecting other kids against what happened to her grandson.

Seven years ago, Tony Menard-Wentz died at the age of 11 from an asthma attack. His lungs collapsed with little warning as he sat in his favorite armchair at grandma's house, an event so tragic that Wentz still can't talk about it without tearing up.

"Everyday is difficult," she says from the couch in her living room, which is filled with pictures of Tony and her other grandchildren.

His death prompted Wentz to not only participate in an annual October walk in Yakima to raise funds to fight asthma, but to also bake and sell pies at local fairs and festivals throughout the year to raise donations for the walk. Most years she raised $1,000 for the walk, which was always organized by the Yakima office of the American Lung Association of the Northwest (ALA-NW).

But this year, Wentz, 72, held onto her pie sale money and didn't go to the walk.

Her decision came late this summer after learning about a reorganization and changes in policies and procedures ordered by the ALA-NW, which is based in Seattle and oversees operations in Yakima as well as the rest of Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

Wentz questioned whether the money she raised would stay in the Yakima area and be dedicated to asthma.

"They told me they couldn't guarantee the money would be used for asthma so I said, 'Well, that's not what I was doing this for, so I'm not going to participate this year,'" Wentz said.

Wentz is far from alone in her displeasure with the Seattle-based office.

Its changes prompted its long-standing parent organization, the American Lung Association in Washington, D.C., to sever ties with the Northwest affiliate, saying it has strayed from its mission.

In court documents, the parent organization alleges the regional affiliate switched its mission from a public health approach to one of helping individuals with lung disease, such as lung cancer.

A public health approach focuses on reaching as many people as possible through education and collaboration with local health care providers and agencies. One example would be the lung organization's work to pass Initiative 901, the indoor smoking ban, several years ago.

In contrast, the new approach focuses on providing services to individual patients. For example, the lung association might spend resources on cancer treatments or helping patients access drugs. Opponents of this approach say it's more expensive and may duplicate health care services already provided.

Titles and roles within the regional organization have also changed.

"We are now structured by function instead of locale. So we're seeing people reporting to other offices," said Kristin Matthews, the Boise-based vice president of marketing and community relations under the new organizational structure.

For example, individuals who had once been responsible for building local relationships and funding sources -- and spending a Yakima County budget of $323,624 -- were told instead to raise funds in the three-state region that includes Idaho, Alaska and Washington.

Tobacco prevention specialists in Yakima now report to someone in the Spokane office. They used to report to the local regional director, Leslie Benoit, but she is now a fund development director reporting to a vice president in Seattle.

"Leslie is a director but not the director any longer," Matthews said.

Benoit declined to comment for this story.

Christine Coté, president of J.M. Perry Institute in Yakima, created a team for the annual walk but withdrew it and suggested that participants return their donations to donors or send the money to the American Lung Association in D.C.

"With all the publicity, I just wasn't comfortable," Coté said. She declined to say how much money had been raised but characterized the sum as "not a lot."

The October walk went on at Sarg Hubbard Park, however, raising about $55,000, up from $49,000 last year.

Meanwhile, ALA-NW has set up a separate foundation called the Pacific Northwest Lung Cancer Foundation, to which it sold its $3.2 million building in Seattle for $10. The affiliate then transferred $600,000 to the new foundation for five years of rent. Court records indicate the affiliate intends to transfer another $600,000 to the new foundation.

Martin, the national spokeswoman, called the transfers "very disturbing" and said they raise questions about whether local budgets, like the one in Yakima, exist any longer.

The parent organization has demanded in a lawsuit that the regional affiliate stop using the American Lung Association name, turn over its financial assets and take steps to get the building back.

Depending on the outcome -- the matter is now in King County Superior Court -- the four-employee Yakima branch of the ALA-NW could lose its contract with the state Department of Health for $182,000 for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

The money comes from the settlement reached by Washington and other states in litigation against tobacco companies over their marketing practices to children and young adults.

Dennis Klukan, administrator of the Yakima Health District, oversees the contract in Yakima.

"We chose the lung association as our prime contractor because they were already doing a great job, so why should we reinvent the wheel?" Klukan said.

"But if they go away from a prevention and public health model, they'll be in violation of the contract and we'll just have to find somebody else to do it."

Laird Harris, vice chairman of the ALA-NW board, said that's not going to happen.

"Our activities have been and continue to be policy- and education-oriented and primarily population-based," Harris said in an e-mail response to a question by the Herald-Republic.

But Wentz wants more assurance that asthma will be fought in Yakima County. She said the general public isn't aware of how serious asthma can be.

"You don't think about asthma killing people. But Tony, he never knew what normal breathing was."

His death helped asthma advocates successfully lobby for a change in state law in 2005, requiring schools to allow children to carry their medication with them during the day, instead of leaving it in the nurses' office.

"There's been a lot of kids helped because of him," she said.

The ALA's organizational dispute could be resolved next month. A hearing will be held in King County Superior Court on Dec. 5 to determine if a restraining order by the parent lung association against the Northwest affiliate will be continued.

Wentz is still baking and selling pies. The funds will support her family's annual celebration of Tony's Nov. 25 birthday with a Toys-for-Tots campaign.

He would have been 19 this year.

* Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.