Raise Asthma Awareness This May!

EPA sent this bulletin at 05/03/2016 01:30 PM EDT

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May Is Asthma Awareness Month!

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Asthma Awareness Month (AAM) is a great opportunity for EPA and its partners to help equip people with asthma to take simple steps to prevent asthma attacks. During May, asthma programs across the country are holding events and trainings and developing informative asthma resources. Visit AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org to learn more about these efforts and find out how you can raise asthma awareness in your community.

Announcing the 2016 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management Winners

Each year during Asthma Awareness Month, EPA honors exceptional health plans, health care providers and communities in action for their work in addressing asthma. The National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management is EPA's highest recognition, and the only national award a program and its leaders can receive for delivering excellent environmental management as part of their comprehensive asthma care services. Winning this award is a sign of excellence and a confirmation of success in helping people with asthma lead healthy, active lives.

Congratulations to this year's winners who deliver comprehensive, innovative and cutting-edge asthma care.

AmeriHealth Caritas
Health Plan Winner

AmeriHealth Caritas, through its local affiliate, has implemented a comprehensive asthma management program to serve Medicaid recipients and their families in southeastern Pennsylvania. Participation in AmeriHealth’s initiatives has resulted in the distribution of nearly 13,000 asthma medications and supplies from doctors’ offices and 875 asthma home kit materials. Community health workers (CHWs) led 327 home visits and environmental surveys, and community events provided hundreds of health screenings.

New England Asthma Innovation Collaborative
Community in Action Winner

Organized by Heath Resources in Action’s Asthma Regional Council, the New England Asthma Innovation Collaborative (NEAIC) is a multisector initiative covering four states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. Through the efforts of staff CHWs, NEAIC has seen a substantial decrease in hospital admissions and urgent care visits and a reduction in missed school days and work days because of asthma.

Public Health—Seattle & King County
Community in Action Winner

During its 20-year history, the King County Asthma Program (KCAP) at Public Health–Seattle & King County has pioneered research and programs in asthma management. Since its original demonstration project began in 1997, KCAP has engaged more than 4,000 patients in programs to manage environmental asthma triggers and improve care delivery for better health outcomes.

Urban Health Plan
Health Care Provider Winner

Asthma Relief Street, Urban Health Plan’s asthma management program, cares for more than 12,000 people with asthma through a multidisciplinary program that is fully integrated into its primary care practice. It has resulted in improved asthma outcomes and has been sustainable and cost-effective for more than 15 years.

Asthma Awareness Month (AAM) Resources for Your Program

Use AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org as a resource during May and throughout the year to promote your asthma program’s work:

Download resources like the Event Planning Kit from the Resource Bank to help you plan AAM events and improve your program.
Promote your program’s AAM events on the Events Calendar.
Use the Blog to share how your event went or how your program is making a difference in your community.
Connect with other programs in your area and across the country, and collaborate to host joint events.
Share tools and materials from your program in the Resource Bank.

Asthma Champion Spotlight: Green & Healthy
Homes Initiative

The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), a 2015 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management winner, continues to make significant contributions to improving the lives of people with asthma.

GHHI and the Building Performance Institute (BPI) recently introduced the Healthy Home Evaluator Credential, which assesses home-based environmental health and safety hazards and provides a prioritized list of recommendations to address those hazards. The goal of this new credential is to break the link between unhealthy housing and unhealthy families through home performance interventions.

Learn more about this initiative.

Minority Kids with Asthma Likely to Miss Days of School

A recent study found that approximately half of children with asthma have had at least one asthma-related school absence. These children, who are Black or Hispanic and live in households with incomes of less than $25,000 per year, are more likely than their White counterparts to miss school because of asthma.

Find the study and more information in the Resource Bank.

Email us or provide feedback.

Know someone who might be interested in joining AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org? Help us spread the word!

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Upcoming Webinar

Register today for the Building a Star Asthma Care Team: Best Practices From the 2016 Asthma Award Winners webinar. Learn successful strategies for building a strong foundation for your program by creating an efficient workforce and strong partnerships.

Check Out Asthma Awareness Month Events

World Asthma Day
May 3, 2016
Everywhere

Twitter Chat on World Asthma Day With EPA and CDC
May 3, 2016
Twitter—Join the conversation at #AsthmaChat at 2:00 p.m.

World Asthma Day: Asthma Myths Discussion
May 3, 2016
Las Vegas, NV

America’s Health Insurance Plans Asthma Leadership Roundtable
May 4, 2016
Washington, DC

Twitter Chat With EPA’s Offices: Air Quality Planning and Standards, Radiation and Indoor Air, Research and Development, and CDC
May 5, 2016
Twitter—Join the conversation at #AirQualityChat at 1:00 p.m.

7th Annual Pediatric Asthma Conference
May 6–7, 2016
Lewis Center, OH

3rd Annual Breathe Easy Asthma Awareness 5K Run/Walk & Health Expo—Virginia Beach
May 7, 2016
Virginia Beach, VA

LUNG FORCE Walk—Seattle
May 7, 2016
Seattle, WA

Sixth Pediatric Asthma Education Conference
May 10, 2016
Nashville, TN

Knowledge in the Air: The Effect of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function
May 11, 2016
Webinar

Allergy & Asthma Network 19th Annual Asthma Awareness Day on Capitol Hill
May 12, 2016
Washington, DC