| ASTHMA
ACU Launches
Pediatric Asthma Indoor Air Quality Improvement Project
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children in the
US. According
to the Center
of Disease Control,
between 1980 and 1996, the prevalence of asthma in children has
increased from 3.6% to 6.2% with children of low-income families
experiencing a disproportionately higher morbidity and mortality
due to asthma. Often, an environmental trigger in the child's
environment can cause an asthma attack. Since the average
person spends 90% of their time indoors, controlling for indoor
environmental triggers is integral in helping a child control his/her
asthma symptoms. However, families are not well informed
about environmental control of asthma, nor are they taught how
to do it. This could be explained by a focus on medical management
of asthma that many providers are trained to give to patients.
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved has
developed a curriculum targeted for primary
care providers serving low-income, underserved populations about incorporating
an environmental assessment as part of a comprehensive asthma management plan. This
educational session, developed with the guidance of an expert advisory committee
uses the chronic care model to encourage a transdisciplinary approach to asthma
care and team building between patients and providers. The curriculum focuses
on practical and realistic measures providers can offer to their patients for
better control of environmental triggers of asthma, while remaining sensitive
to cultural and linguistic issues.
The Pediatric Asthma Indoor Air Quality Improvement project is funded through
a cooperative agreement with the EPA, Indoor Environments
Division. This
funding has allowed ACU to develop the curriculum and will allow ACU to deliver
the curriculum to over 300 clinicians in two years at no cost to the hosting
organization. If you or your organization is interested in hosting a training,
please contact Lois Wessel for
more information.
ACU's Expert Advisory Committee
Committee Members & Affiliation
Amy Friedman, MPH- Allies Against Asthma
Asha Subramanian, MD- Georgetown Fellow
Bonita Wilson, MD- Asthma Allergy Foundation of America
Ed Zuroweste, MD Migrant Clinicians Network
Elvan Daniels, MD- National Center on Primary Care
Jacqueline Spain, MD, HRSA Asthma Collaborative
Janet Phoenix, MD, MPH- Coalition for Environmentally Safe Communities
Leigh Hume, RN- Inova Fairfax Hospital- Health Source
Mary Jo Harris , RN- Baltimore City Health Department
Peter Gergen, MD- National Institute of Health, NIAID
Shawn Bowen, MD- Children's Health Fund
Suzanne Bronheim, PhD- National Center for Cultural Competence
Tracy Goodman, JD- Children's Law Center
EPA Agency Representatives
Sheila Brown- EPA, Indoor Environments
Division
Katrin Kral - EPA, Indoor Environments Division
ACU Staff
Lois Wessel, RN, FNP, Project Manager

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