Asthma…and More: Addressing Asthma through an Interdisciplinary Approach

  • Posted on: 8 June 2015
  • By: RuthAnnNorton

Our organization, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, was recently awarded the EPA’s National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management as part of Asthma Awareness Month. We are honored to receive this award and to share the ways we have achieved success in improving asthma outcomes by tackling asthma with non-traditional approaches that go beyond clinical care.

Like many public health problems, controlling asthma can be complex and requires a holistic approach. Socioeconomic factors affect health, and minority children and children from low-income families are disproportionately affected by asthma. Over 12 percent of children living in poverty have asthma, compared to 8.2 percent of the rest of the population. Racial and ethnic minority children experience both higher rates of asthma and more severe attacks.

Environmental factors can also trigger asthma symptoms and, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, over 40 percent of all asthma attacks are triggered by environmental factors in the home, such as dust and mold. Baltimore has an old and deteriorated housing stock that contains many environmental asthma triggers, causing frequent asthma episodes in children. Through analysis, we discovered that in a one-year period, 52 percent of children who visited the Emergency Room due to an asthma episode lived in the same neighborhoods, where the housing conditions are known to be poor.

Our goal is to improve asthma control by going beyond the doctor’s office and into the home environment. We expanded a successful healthy homes program and added an asthma care component. Our multi-disciplinary teams include healthy homes practitioners, pest applicators, asthma educators, lead hazard reduction workers, weatherization technicians, case managers, and a legal advocate. GHHI Baltimore is prevention focused; we turn the hazards of poor quality housing into safe, energy-efficient, healthy housing that benefits all family members and improves the health outcomes of those with asthma.

By incorporating in-home asthma services into a healthy homes program, we generate strong health outcomes and significant cost savings. Participants reported a 66-percent reduction in asthma-related hospitalizations and a 28-percent reduction in emergency room visits. Further, a cost analysis found that the GHHI model saves $1.72 for every $1 invested.

Asthma care requires a range of services that address environmental and socioeconomic issues. We are proud of the model we created and look forward to sharing our approach and lessons learned with communities across the country.