South Florida Asthma Consortium

Vision:

Use the wealth of talent and resources within our community to create an environment that promotes respiratory health and to improve the quality of life of those living with asthma

Mission:

To develop and implement a regional action plan that improves the quality of life of those with asthma through empowerment, education, outreach, collaboration, and services.

Goals:

1) Encourage the health departments and hospitals in the South East Florida to establish and maintain an asthma surveillance program
2) Work with local universities and colleges to develop research, medical (clinical), environmental, and public health (epidemiological) approaches to identity existing gaps in education, knowledge and services with regard to the management of asthma.
3) Provide service, education, and advocacy that build healthier homes, schools, and communities in order to facilitate information exchange on the best practices or models in the area of asthma care.
4) Support community-based partners and health care providers to collaborate in the identification and implementation of strategies to provide children and families affected by asthma with access to environmental interventions and physician feedback interventions designed to reduce the burden of asthma morbidity and severity.
5) Promote collaboration among health care providers to identify resources available in the community to appropriately diagnose and better manage asthma through the use of new 2007 NLHBI Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma
6) To create and maintain a partnership in high-risk communities by continuously evaluating their needs and to provide solutions to reduce the burden of asthma morbidity and severity.

Committees:

1) School and Health Department Advisory by School Health and Health Department Administrators
a. Ensure that all public, private, and child care institutions understand and apply the NHLBI guidelines
b. Create projects and programs that enhance asthma education
c. Exhibit and distribute asthma education materials to instructors, administrators, and school nurses
d. Establish a surveillance system to monitor and report on data from county and institutions on their asthma incidence and prevalence
e. Analyze presented demographic data based on environmental factors
2) Asthma Diagnosis and Management Advisory by MDs, Nurses, and Hospital Administrators
a. Improve clinical management through data, education, and advocacy
i. Provider tool kit
ii. Patient/Family tool kit
iii. Provider education interventions
3) Community and Advocacy Advisory by Recipients of Community Grants and Advocacy Groups
a. Ensures that caregivers and children understand and apply NHLBI guidelines for managing asthma
b. Provide outreach to underserved and high-risk communities through community based programs
c. Promote community-wide improvements in asthma care
d. Increase asthma awareness
e. Promote increased use of the National Asthma Awareness and Education Program
f. Serve as a resource for cutting-edge asthma information
g. Promote collaboration between consortium and community
h. Develop public policy resolutions
i. Review state and local health laws
4) Research and Evaluation Advisory by Hospitals, Clinics, and Universities
a. Serve as the data collection agency and review body for the consortium
b. Distribute outcome data
c. Ensure that information about the consortium is accurate and readily available
d. Collect information for a fatal asthma registry