Program Sustainability and Financing

In 1996, after treating far too many severe asthma attacks, Nurse Practitioner Jan Dalby decided she had enough of the increase number of children with asthma who wound up at the St. Mary’s Hospital emergency room. She approaches the leaders of Bon Secours Richmond (BSR), who began to explore the problems and quickly recognized a growing need for pediatric asthma management services in Central Virginia. Soon, BSR partnered with the Central Virginia Asthma Coalition to develop CARMA, a community-based program targeting children living with asthma. In 2001, the project received a seven year grant from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to decrease morbidity in children in urban communities using innovative and collaborative approaches. In addition to the CDC grant, CARMA receives funding from BSR and the Virginia Department of Health. CARMA was also awarded funding in 2005 from the EPA to implement an in-home education and indoor environmental trigger mitigation program.

The funding for CARMA services varies slightly from year-to-year depending on grants and contracts, but during fiscal year 2007, funding for CARMA came from four different sources. The CDC grant provided approximately $800,000 in direct expenses for CARMA services. In addition to the indirect costs associated with employing and housing the staff, BSR also contributed approximately $75,000 of direct funding for CARMA operations. Grants received from the EPA ($12,400) and from the Virginia Department of Health ($22,000) provided additional support for CARMA services.