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Session: Community-based Advocacy to Reduce Environmental Asthma Triggers
4197.0: Tuesday, November 9, 2004: 2:30 PM-4:00 PM
Oral
Community-based Advocacy to Reduce Environmental Asthma Triggers
Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) is an initiative of twelve local coalitions across California, four regional centers, and a state coordinating office that work to improve the lives of children with asthma by promoting policies that can reduce asthma triggers in schools, in homes, and outdoors. The project highlights the important role that health-focused community coalitions can play in environmental policy, and has helped groups that have never participated in policy gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take action. The initiative relies on the wisdom and experience of local community members. CAFA coalitions and regional centers determine policy priorities, develop advocacy strategies, and put advocacy strategies into action at the local level and in the state Capitol. Many of the coalitions had little policy experience prior to the CAFA initiative, but have now advocated successfully in support of local and state-level policies. Over the course of the initiative, CAFA members have met with policymakers, testified before committees and at hearings, conducted community and media outreach, and participated in other forms of advocacy. CAFA is focusing their 2004 statewide policy efforts on improving indoor air quality in schools and promoting strong diesel regulations. This session will discuss CAFA’s successes in advocacy efforts to reduce environmental triggers of asthma, and the factors that contributed to those successes.
Learning Objectives: - Discuss the importance of environmental policy changes in addressing asthma. - Describe how funders can encourage local efforts to improve health, while also achieving wider impact. - List three strategies to help community coalitions get involved in advocacy.
Organizer(s):Rebecca Flournoy, MPH
Nsedu Obot, MPH
Sacoby M. Wilson, MS
Shobha Srinivasan, PHD
Daneen Farrow-Collier
Kimberly Gray, PhD
Moderator(s):Mildred Thompson, MSW
2:30 PMImproving health through a focus on communities: Lessons from CAFA  [ Recorded presentation ]
Marion Standish, JD
2:50 PMLinking communities to policy change: Successes and strategies from the CAFA initiative
Rebecca Flournoy, MPH
3:10 PMPower of regional collaborations to impact environmental policy change  [ Recorded presentation ]
Anne Kelsey Lamb, MPH
3:30 PMLocals in the policy process: The power of one!  [ Recorded presentation ]
Alicia Bohlke
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:Environment
Endorsed by:Community Health Planning and Policy Development; Community-Based Public Health Caucus; Public Health Education and Health Promotion; Public Health Nursing
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA