Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114912

Elisa Nicholas, MD, MSPH and Maura W. Dwyer. Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, The Children's Clinic, 2651 Elm Ave Suite 100, Long Beach, CA 90806, 562-427-4249, enicholas@memorialcare.org

Background: Effective asthma management and prevention requires that children have access to quality health care and asthma-friendly environments where they live, learn and play. The Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (LBACA), a community asthma coalition, has facilitated grassroots involvement in policy and advocacy efforts to improve environments and access to quality health care.

Methods: LBACA utilized its network of asthma stakeholders to organize community participation in critical air quality and health care issues. These included legislation to limit truck idling at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, the proposed expansion of a local freeway, and reimbursement for preventive asthma care including home visits by a trained Community Health Worker (CHW). LBACA also worked on legislation to promote a uniform asthma medication formulary in California.

Results: LBACA hosted a legislators' tour and testified in a legislative hearing on asthma. Concerned community leaders and LBACA members testified at workshops, hearings and meetings and made written recommendations. Local, regional and statewide partnerships were formed. The truck idling legislation passed and a 710 freeway Community Advisory Committee was formed. The health voice, once noticeably absent from the freeway expansion debate, is now very strong, and community members are armed with knowledge, skills and experience to participate in future policy and advocacy efforts.

Conclusion: Coalitions are utilizing key relationships and strategic approaches to enable full participation in policy efforts. Challenges, lessons learned, strategies and tools developed will be delineated in the presentation.

Learning Objectives:

• Acquire information regarding critical policy issues for children with asthma
• Recognize the importance of involving grassroots community members and CBOs in policy formulation
• Recognize the coalition approach as a mechanism for effectively bringing community members and CBOs together with other sectors as partners in policy formulation
• Identify effective strategies for involving grassroots community members in policy formulation

Keywords: Asthma, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.