Vision:
To improve the health status and quality of life of Pennsylvania residents affected by asthma.
Mission:
To dedicate expertise and resources to develop and implement a sustainable statewide asthma action plan. The plan shall expand and improve the quality of asthma care and management, education and awareness, prevention and surveillance and seeks to eliminate the disproportionate burden that asthma places on racial and ethnic minorities and low income Pennsylvania residents.
We Are:
- A diverse, multi-disciplinary partnership of agencies, organizations and individuals in the Commonwealth concerned with asthma
- Committed to the sharing of mutual expertise and resources in addressing and reducing the burden of asthma in Pennsylvania
- A state-wide organization providing guidance and recommendations around the implementation and on-going development of the most recent Pennsylvania Asthma Strategic Plan
- The Pennsylvania Asthma Partnership is managed by the American Lung Association of Pennsylvania and is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
History:
Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) has a strong history of successful collaborations with public and private partners. This track record of practical partnerships is one of the factors that allowed PA DOH to be awarded a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant for the new Asthma Control Program. As a result the PA DOH was able to collaborate with partners throughout the state who had experience and expertise in asthma to develop a Pennsylvania Asthma Action Plan.
Implementation was the next phase for this Plan. Collaboration was critical. To this end, the Pennsylvania Asthma Partnership (PAP) was formed. PAP is comprised of consumers, pharmacies, environmental groups, non-profits, respiratory therapists, registered nurses, insurance providers, Medicaid providers, medical centers, local asthma coalitions, physicians, community health centers, a state-wide epidemiologist, and state agencies. These partners will work together to implement the six main components of the Pennsylvania Asthma Action Plan including:
1. Surveillance/Evaluation - Establishing a surveillance system for asthma.
2. Environment/Workplace - Reducing the environmental causes and triggers of asthma and reducing the effects of occupation/work related asthma.
3. Awareness/Education - Making the general public, students, and school personnel more aware of asthma symptoms, impacts, and treatments and focusing on schools and community resources to educate patients on asthma self-management.
4. Provider - Increasing healthcare provider use of evidence-based, national asthma treatment guidelines.
5. Disparities - Reducing the disproportionately high asthma burden seen in racial and ethnic minorities and among other underserved and vulnerable populations in PA.
6. Public Policy - Changing public policy to improve asthma care.
Each component includes recommendations for action. These recommendations are aimed at producing short-term or intermediate-term outcomes that when implemented, can be measured. Each recommendation also aims to improve long-term health outcomes. The ultimate goals of the plan are to decrease asthma morbidity, mortality, and costs and increase the quality of life for those with asthma. The priority populations for improvement are children, minorities, and low-income residents in PA.
Through this cooperation and coordination, Pennsylvanians who have asthma and their families will be able to better manage their asthma.
A full copy of our guidelines is available [PDF]
|
