Working Together Towards Systems Change

MCAN is a non-profit organization with the mission to enhance the quality of life for children with asthma and to reduce the burden of the disease on them and society. The assets that MCAN brings to AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org and to asthma communities around the country are aimed at (1) catalyzing meaningful and action-oriented partnerships and collaborations; (2) supporting the implementation of evidence-based interventions and evaluating the effectiveness of that process; and (3) formulating policy initiatives based on needs and closing gaps of access to care, levels of morbidity, and burden of disease.

MCAN partnered with RCHN Community Health Foundation to support the George Washington University (GWU) team in its research and putting together the policy report, Changing pO2licy: The Elements for Improving Childhood Asthma Outcomes.

In the GWU policy report we attempt to identify practical ways to overcome some of the barriers that seem to have prevented us from addressing the devastating and costly impacts of poorly managed asthma, especially in impoverished and medically underserved communities.

With the nation moving forward on healthcare reform and the emphasis being placed on access to care and reducing the amount we spend on health care, the stakes are high, but we have a unique opportunity to contribute to systems change and to close the gap between what we know and what we do in managing asthma.  Hopefully, we are in the right place at the right time.

Systems change to optimize care for children is reliant on sound policy development and implementation.  But to ensure that such policies are put in place for childhood asthma, it is imperative that the condition be identified and positioned as a national public health priority. It is a health disparity in need of persuasive action.

In addition, to make meaningful and sustainable changes in systems, partnerships and collaboration are necessary.  We need the expertise and experiences of each of you and your organizations.  No individual or no one organization can effect these types of sustainable changes.  I recognize we sometimes think the "asthma problem" is too big to tackle.  But each one of us can play a role and fill a need to address this complex problem. At MCAN we value meaningful partnerships to fulfill our mission and meet our stated goals.

AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org represents individuals and organizations that have impact at every conceivable level, including that of influencing healthcare policy makers.  You are indeed "communities in action."  And among you, there is a collective knowledge and experiences that are unmatched. So, I say, let's leverage that knowledge and influence to integrate childhood asthma policy needs into the agendas of healthcare policy makers at the national, state, and local levels.

I think there is a sense of urgency to engage in systems change - to encourage healthcare coverage for all children, to promote quality asthma care, and to address the environmental triggers in neighborhoods, homes, and in schools.  When it comes to managing asthma, it’s not just about the doctors kids see or the medicines they take, but about a team of individuals who have to come together to keep asthma under control.  It’s about the work that you do in your communities that will truly impact the burden of asthma for children.

Floyd J. Malveaux