Advice for New Programs

To get a program up and running - it is important to establish your program's infrastructure. This includes establishing leadership and program management; developing community and state-level partnerships; establishing a surveillance system in an effort to identify high-burden populations so you can best earmark funds and activities in those areas; and then also taking into consideration how you will conduct both communication and evaluation activities.

If you are considering starting a new in-home asthma education/environmental assessment program, it's important to start small with a pilot project and demonstrate success in an effort to obtain future funding. Alongside a pilot project is the need to identify high burden areas where it makes the most sense to establish a program; identify willing partners in those areas and go into knowing there will likely be many challenges that you are confronted with. But with challenges come learned experience that will ultimately lead to the creation of a successful program. You may want to also consider conducting pilot projects in several different settings - health system, non-profit, local health department, FQHC, etc in order to identify which approach may prove most successful in obtaining referrals and successfully implementing.