The mission of the Boston Urban Asthma Coalition (BUAC) is to build a comprehensive and coordinated approach to asthma control and prevention in Boston and throughout the state. It accomplishes this mission by promoting collaboration and community leadership to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic health disparities in asthma prevalence, asthma management, and asthma hazards in the home, school, and other environments.
It has three committees that work on quality health care for all, healthy schools, and healthy homes. These committees focus on changing the policies that affect people with asthma through legislative, regulatory, and administrative advocacy. BUAC's Strengthening Voices Project works with parents of children who have asthma to support their involvement in health policy issues.
To date, BUAC has succeeded in advocating for: 1)1,000 new healthy and affordable housing units a year, 2) green and healthy cleaners in every public school in Boston, 3) environmental inspections of every public school in Boston, and 4) a city program that works with health professionals and code enforcement officers to improve the housing of children with asthma called Breathe Easy.