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

Abstract #114964

Jeni L. Miller, PhD¹, Derek Shendell, DEnv, MPH², Cindy S. Tsai¹, Eric M. Roberts, MD, PhD³, Debra Ann Russell, BA², Mary Kreger, DrPH⁴, Vicki Legion, MPH⁵, and Mary Beth Love, PhD, MS⁶. (1) Publications and Training Office, Community Health Works of San Francisco, 1250 Addison, Suite 112, Berkeley, CA 94702, (2) CA State Office, Community Action to Fight Asthma Initiative, 1250 Addison, Suite 112, Berkeley, CA 94702, (510) 644-1609, derek.g.shendell.96@alum.dartmouth.org, (3) Environmental Health Investigations Branch-CA Environmental Health Tracking Program, California Department of Health Services, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1700, Oakland, CA 94612, (4) Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 265, San Francisco, CA 94114, (5) Community Health Works of SF/YES WE CAN, San Francisco State University, Department of Health Education, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132, (6) Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, HSS 319, San Francisco, CA 94132

The mission of Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA), funded by The California Endowment as a three-year initiative (2002-05), was to reduce the prevalence of and exposure to indoor and outdoor environmental hazards for California's school-aged asthmatic children. CAFA synergized advocacy, outreach, education, and intervention work of 13 funded local coalitions—and recently over 15 newer local asthma coalitions and projects—across the state, linking them through four Regional Centers and a State Coordinating Office. The structure and technical assistance partners in policy advocacy, media and evaluation transformed the capacity of local coalitions from a previous focus on improving clinical asthma access and care to the pursuit of advocacy to affect environmental policy change at state and local levels, in an area(s) of focus they selected through strategic planning processes. Overall, for collaborative statewide efforts, including quick actions, coalitions chose two policy issues: improving school indoor air and environmental quality, including the impact of outdoor air pollution; and, reducing emissions of diesel exhaust (particles and chemicals). This presentation will highlight the major successes, barriers overcome, and challenges still being addressed by local asthma coalitions.

The CAFA model could be modified and replicated to address asthma triggers in other states, other childhood chronic conditions, healthy housing (asthma, lead and pesticide poisoning prevention), and healthy schools, thereby fostering the combined local and statewide advocacy and outreach efforts these issues require. This presentation is for various asthma stakeholders and public health policymakers who work with or on behalf of health and environment coalitions.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to describe the primary activities and major successes, barriers overcome, and challenges still being addressed by local asthma coalitions in California.

Keywords: Asthma, Community Involvement

Related Web page: www.calasthma.org

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.

Recorded presentation