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Asthma Awareness Toolkit – You can use the items in CDC’s Asthma Awareness Month Toolkit to take control of and raise awareness about asthma.

The Wisconsin Asthma Coalition (WAC) is committed to improving asthma management for children and adults. Since the WAC’s inception in 2001, the role of the Alliance has been to coordinate the coalition of more than 200 members, and facilitate the creation and implementation of the Wisconsin Asthma Plan.

The WAC Executive Committee meets monthly in-person to guide, monitor, and make recommendations to implement the Wisconsin Asthma Plan.

A Story of Health begins with
a family reunion that brings you
into the lives of fictional people
with some of the chronic illnesses
that are a serious problem for the
health of our nation – asthma,
developmental disabilities, cancer,
infertility, diabetes, and cognitive
decline. Through their stories,
you’ll learn the potential causes of
these diseases and conditions, and
explore prevention strategies.

The Minnesota Department of Health would like you to be aware of the “new” URL to the online training: Reducing Environmental Asthma Triggers in the home.

Go to: https://apps.health.state.mn.us/asthmahealthyhomes/

To respond to persistent disparities in health outcomes, the public health workforce must have the sensitivity and flexibility to work effectively in diverse contexts. Similarly, evaluation of programs requires a culturally responsive approach. To that end, the National Asthma Control Program, in partnership with the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, developed Practical Strategies for Culturally Competent Evaluation. This guide and accompanying tip sheet highlight opportunities for integrating cultural competence throughout the six steps of the CDC evaluation process. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/program_eval/other_resources.htm

Air-pollution levels have been trending downward progressively over the past several decades in southern California, as a result of the implementation of air quality–control policies. We assessed whether long-term reductions in pollution were associated with improvements in respiratory health among children.

The Green & Healthy Homes (GHHI) Healthy Homes Demonstration Project utilized the standards and practices created by GHHI: A Holistic Housing Assessment coupled with environmental health education and combined as an integrated environmental health and energy housing intervention for children with asthma, ages 2–14.

As of January 1, 2014, a new Medicaid rule allows reimbursement for preventive services delivered by non-licensed providers, upon recommendation from a licensed Medicaid provider. ASTHO's website contains resources related to the new Medicaid rule, including examples of successful strategies for preventive service delivery by non-licensed providers such as Community Health Workers (CHWs), and other resources related to the adaptation, licensure, and support of CHWs.

Since 1997, the “free care” rule has stated that Medicaid will not pay for services that are offered to the general public free of charge. The rule has stood as a significant barrier for schools to receive Medicaid reimbursement for health services provided to students enrolled in Medicaid. On December 15, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a letter to State Medicaid Directors informing them of a decision to withdraw prior regulatory guidance on the free care rule. The following Q&A explains how this important reversal of Medicaid policy will impact coverage of school-based interventions for low-income children with asthma.

The prevalence of childhood asthma in the United States increased from 8.7% in 2001 to 9.5% in 2011. This increased prevalence adds to the costs incurred by state Medicaid programs. We provide state-based cost estimates of pediatric asthma emergency department (ED) visits and highlight an opportunity for states to reduce these costs through a recently changed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation.