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What is Asthma
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Community-Based Activities
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Asthma and the
Environment
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Work-Related
Asthma
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Data and
Surveillance
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Asthma
Health Disparities
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Asthma Policies
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Monthly Asthma
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State Asthma
Plan
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Asthma is a complex chronic disease
that deeply affects individuals, families, child/adult and health care
providers, the community, work sites, and schools. Addressing asthma effectively
requires a public health approach that includes long-term coordinated and
multifaceted approaches that are concerned with improving the outcomes in all
persons with asthma. This is only accomplished through attention to equity and
the most efficient use of resources in ways that enhance patient and community
quality of life.
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One Child’s Story…
José, age 11, lived in a doublewide trailer provided by his parents’
employer, located in the center of grape and hop fields, where he
slept on the floor. He had missed 1½ weeks of school over the past
12 months and had been to the emergency department (ED) twice in the
past 18 months due to asthma.
Click here to view the
story.
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Appropriate and effective public health approaches to asthma use
population-based strategies focused on the community rather than on an
individual. Instead of focusing on one element of asthma management (e.g.,
medical care or environmental issues), the plan finds methods or strategies that
will provide maximum benefit for the largest number of persons with asthma. This
approach does not abandon the needs of individual patients but broadens the
reach of the public health systems and the community to include all persons with
asthma, especially those who might be designated as underserved.
Public health’s mission helping communities to be safer and healthier is an
essential service that is guaranteed by law to all residents of Washington
State. Certain aspects of this asthma plan deal with serving groups with
socioeconomic needs, some deal with equitable treatment by third party payers of
the private and public sector, and others deal with non-economic issues such as
safety and fair treatment in the schools, and availability of recreational
resources for children with asthma. This across-the-board applicability of
public health is very important.
More information is available in our state plan. Click on the link
below to view the Community Based Activities chapter.
Click here for Community Based Activities - State Plan
(740 KB - MS Word)
Other Resources:
Washington Asthma Initiative (WAI) a statewide organization which works
to mobilize individuals, organizations, and
communities throughout the state to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and
management of asthma in order to decrease its individual and societal
burdens. The WAI are the key conveyors of the state asthma plan.
Local asthma coalitions. There are six local asthma coalitions in Washington
State.
There are
five Steps to a HealthierUS communities in Washington State. Steps to a
Healthier WA is a new, integrated approach to chronic disease prevention.
This new approach helps Washington State work together to enhance efforts to
reduce chronic diseases in all parts of our state—communities, schools,
worksites and healthcare settings. The program focuses to prevent and/or
manage asthma, diabetes, and obesity through initiatives that improve
nutrition, increase physical activity and prevent tobacco use. There
are four sites managed by the State Department of Health and Public Health -
Seattle King County.
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External
Links:
Washington Asthma Initiative
Centers for Disease Control - Asthma
Environmental Protection Agency
National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health
Internal Links:
Washington State Asthma Plan
Washington State Burden
of Asthma Report
Asthma Fact Sheet
Related Links:
Tobacco Prevention and Control
Other CFH Programs
Environmental Health
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