Government

There are 3 Components to the CDC Asthma Program:
Surveillance
Science-based interventions
Partnerships

Starting in 1999, CDC began funding State Health Departments to develop and implement programs to address asthma from a public health perspective within their states
For two years, focus of awards was solely on planning/building state capacity
Starting in 2001, the program moved to a two-phase award process for capacity building and implementation (Part A and B)
States funded for planning were required to:
develop asthma surveillance capacity
develop a statewide asthma coalition
through that coalition, write and obtain approval for a State Asthma Plan
States funded for implementation are required to:
Maintain/improve asthma surveillance capacity
Maintain/improve state coalition
Implement interventions described in the State Asthma Plan
Evaluate program

The Asthma Outreach Worker can:

• Help you understand the advice provided by your doctor.
  Sometimes the information you receive in your doctor's office or at the hospital can seem confusing. Our Asthma Outreach Worker will work with you, and if necessary, with your child's doctor to make sure you understand your doctor's advice.
• Help to develop an asthma management plan.
  Health experts and physicians all recommend that people with asthma have a plan in place that clearly states what should be done, when it should be done and how it should be done. If you already have an asthma management plan our Asthma Outreach Worker will help you understand it and update it with you if necessary. If you don't have a plan, she will work with you to put one in place.
• Conduct a Home environmental assessment.
  Besides taking the right medications, people with asthma and allergies usually need to avoid certain things in the environment that can make them ill. Our Asthma Outreach Worker will share information about things in and around your home that may be making you sick. She'll also provide simple suggestions on ways to reduce your exposure to the environmental "triggers" most likely to affect your asthma.
• Provide supplies to assist you with your asthma management.
  You may also need supplies such as a peak flow meter or spacer to help manage your asthma or to help you reduce your exposure to environmental "triggers." The Asthma Outreach Worker can often provide these supplies at no cost to you.

We are seeking additional resources to create a comprehensive program. Currently, our activities focus on education in homes and child care centers in relation to asthma trigger identification and mitigation. We also have an asthma education website and work with community groups to provide asthma trigger information to at-risk communities.