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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
4016.0: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 8:30 AM

Abstract #114912

Grassroots involvement in policy development initiatives through coalition efforts

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:

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.

Evidence of the Environment's Relationship to Health

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA