Funding Streams for Asthma Patient Education

Patient education, we know, is absolutely essential to help control asthma...and to control the enormous economic and psycho-social impacts of asthma. Yet, in my experience as a primary care pediatrician and director of the pediatric asthma program for a 6-office community clinic organization in Los Angeles, I find that there are virtually no permanent funding streams for this patient education.  This is especially true for patients with managed-care insurance (HMOs) and for those in public programs such as Medicaid. The details don't need detailing here. The consequences are serious...and the situation is frustrating.

Do you share that view, concern and frustration?

If so, here is a proposal for launching a movement to address this dilemma: As health care reform is being built, those of us attending the National Asthma Forum, along with other grassroots asthma advocates, need to call upon all governmental and private non-profit and for-profit agencies, organizations and businesses involved with asthma and the promotion of health and healthcare to collaborate and support:

1. The creation of permanent funding streams for research in effective asthma patient education at the clinical levels and public levels;

2. The creation of permanent funding streams for proven programs/approaches for asthma patient education.

What do you think?