Lessons Learned from Ten-Year Collaboration Promoting Asthma Prevention and Control Across the Lifespan

The City appointed a diverse interdisciplinary task force to address asthma disparities, standard of care and environmental risk factors in 2001. Asthma Task Force members acted in coalition to research and write an ambitious strategic plan. Advocating for those strategies over the last ten years has led to success in seven areas affecting residents across the lifespan: child care, public schools and early education clinical care, community and policy advocacy, housing habitability, outdoor air pollution, and public awareness,. Our Asthma Network includes clinicians treating such diverse populations as mono-lingual Chinese parents and children, high school teens from working class families, adults in supportive housing and those who were homeless, immigrant populations and seniors with dementia, who convene to share patient engagement strategies and clinical updates. The public school district partnered with us to implement an indoor air quality program for teachers and custodial staff, including the conversion of 120 schools and early education centers to green cleaning practices. Public housing has collaborated to improve mold response and to pilot integrated pest management practices. We acted in coalition with regional environmental justice activists advocating for the Air District to reduce cumulative impacts. One key partner, a pediatric asthma clinic, has partnered to provide legal support to patients whose asthma is affected by living in substandard housing. We have learned much about the strengths and weaknesses of an interdisciplinary coalition during this decade of focusing on improving the quality of life for people with asthma and reducing asthma disparities.