Asthma Coalition Releases Ohio Statewide Asthma Plan
ASTHMA COALITION RELEASES OHIO STATEWIDE ASTHMA PLAN
More than 1 million people in Ohio have asthma. For every 10 adults with asthma, four were unable to work or do normal activities at some point in the previous year. Asthma is also the most common reason for children with chronic illness to miss school.
Also more than 150 Ohioans die every year from asthma, despite a wide variety of treatment options, according to the Ohio Statewide Asthma Plan developed by the Ohio Asthma Coalition (OAC) and released December 6, 2005.
The Ohio Statewide Asthma Plan is just the first step in a long-range plan to reduce the burden of asthma for residents of Ohio said Dr. Shalini Forbis who is the chair of OAC and a pediatrician at Children's Medical Center of Dayton and Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine.
"With today's treatment options, Ohioans with asthma should be able to lead active lives with few or no asthma symptoms," she said. "We want to improve the lives of Ohioans with asthma."
"Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. As a parent of three asthmatic children, and suffering from asthma myself, I know how scary attacks can be," said Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), the honorary co-chair of the Ohio Asthma Coalition. "I look forward to the implementation of the Statewide Plan for Asthma. Putting the goals of the plan into action will work to improve the quality of life for asthma sufferers."
OAC hopes to do this by: Improving clinical practice related to asthma. Increasing public awareness through asthma-related advocacy and educational efforts. Promoting and supporting asthma research.
OAC plans a major educational initiative, which includes a multi-state asthma educational conference for professionals who care for patients with asthma. This conference is scheduled for March 10, 2006. In addition, a public-awareness campaign featuring public-service announcements and asthma-awareness events around the state is slated to launch in spring 2006.
Senator DeWine has worked to ensure asthmatic children receive necessary treatment. In the Children's Health Act of 2000, Senator DeWine secured a provision that authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish state and local community grants to be used for asthma detection, treatment, and education services and directs federal agencies to direct more funding towards asthma programs while working with existing programs to identify children with asthma that would otherwise remain undetected and untreated. In October of 2004, the House version of Senator DeWine's Asthmatic School-children's Treatment and Health Management Act became law. This bill encourages states to require schools to allow students to carry and use their needed asthma medication by giving the states preference when applying for asthma-related federal grants.
The Ohio Statewide Asthma Plan and information regarding the upcoming conference and OAC is available at http://www.ohiolung.org/ohio_asthma_coalition.htm. For more information contact Dr. Forbis at 937-641-3277 or Jeff Sadosky, press secretary for Senator DeWine at 202-224-2315.
http://dewine.senate.gov/