Gillibrand Unveils Plan To Address Asthma Problem In New York

by: robert.harding

Wed Aug 05, 2009 at 09:42:43 AM EDT

This week, Sen. Gillibrand has released a report outlining the problem of asthma in New York. Asthma affects over 370,000 children in New York, including 180,000 in the New York City area. Between 2005 and 2007, over 40,000 children were hospitalized for asthma-related illnesses. According to Gillibrand's office, asthma costs our economy approximately $16 billion a year.

Sen. Gillibrand came up with a plan to address the problem of asthma:

1. Make Inhalers Available to Every Child in Need
The FDA now requires drug makers to manufacture inhalers with a reduced impact on the environment, and completed phasing out the sale of the inhalers containing harmful propellants last year. To help schools and families afford the new inhalers they need, Senator Gillibrand's plan will provide over $100 million in funding to schools in low-income, high-incidence areas to purchase inhalers and spacers - so children suffering from asthma have access to the treatment they need.  The cost of the program is based on asthma rates among low income children at Title I schools.  The funding will provide the school with the inhalers they need and a spacer for every child.

2.  Create School Asthma Management Plans
In order to qualify for the free inhalers and spacers program, Senator Gillibrand will require that schools draft and implement a comprehensive school asthma management policy and program, including:

·         A method to identify all students with asthma and their prescriptions;
·         Asthma education for all school staff;
·         Access to medication and methods to administer medication for all children based on their individual needs;
·         Medication and emergency policies specific to each school;
·         Protocols and training to support clinical management of acute symptoms and ongoing management;
·         Systems to support ongoing care coordination with family, primary care provider and others as necessary;
·         Methods to monitor quality and outcomes of student's asthma care;

3. Train More Asthma Educators
New York only has about 100 asthma educators - experts in counseling individuals with asthma and their families on how to treat and lead healthy lives with asthma.  Asthma educators are required to put in 1,000 hours at clinical sites to complete their training, a cost that is not reimbursable by insurance.  This puts considerable financial burden on anyone interested in becoming an asthma educator.

To incentivize more health professionals to become asthma educators, Senator Gillibrand is urging U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to direct more workforce development funding to support the training of additional certified asthma educators in New York and across the country.

Investing in asthma educators can help minimize the effects of asthma on a child's everyday life and cut costs over the long run by reducing expensive trips to the emergency room. In fact, studies show that for every dollar invested in asthma education, we can save up to $36 in direct and indirect costs associated with treating asthma.

4. Invest in More Research and Data Collection
Medical and scientific research holds the potential to unlock new treatments for children suffering from asthma. To give scientists and laboratories the resources they need to make the next breakthrough in asthma treatment, Senator Gillibrand will introduce the Asthma Act - legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Nita Lowey in the House, which will provide new funding for asthma research.

Additionally, this legislation will improve collaboration of federal agencies for better asthma surveillance and data collection, and give all states, schools and families the resources they need to raise awareness, provide asthma training for educators, and referrals to health plans that provide treatment for every child suffering from asthma through the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Furthermore, national data on asthma rates is lacking, presenting an enormous obstacle in our efforts to combat this problem over the long term.  Over the coming months, Senator Gillibrand will work with Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey to author legislation that will help to create standardized national data that will help identify where funding is needed most.

Sen. Gillibrand also wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking Sebelius to support initatives that would be federally funded that would help educate and treat those affected by asthma. You can read the letter below the fold.

Asthma can create serious problems. There was a story told at a recent health care town hall meeting of a young girl who had severe asthma, but was not getting the treatment she needed. She suffered an asthma attack that resulted in her death.

While that is an extreme case, it only shows the need for better education and better access to treatment. Asthma is just one piece of the large health care puzzle. But it's an important piece that impacts 370,000 New Yorkers daily.  

I write to you today about an issue near to my heart that affects over 22 million Americans, including nearly 7 million children - asthma. Asthma costs this country over $16 billion dollars each year through medication, lost school and work days, urgent care and emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Many of these costs are preventable, especially when an asthma educator is utilized.  

Asthma educators are experts in teaching and counseling individuals with asthma and their families.  An asthma educator will help establish an asthma action plan customized to the individual's needs, environment, disease severity, and lifestyle to minimize the impact of asthma on the individual's quality of life.  The goal is to reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations, which are far costlier than simple measures taken to reduce the risk of an asthma attack.  

Numerous studies have been done to examine the cost-effectiveness of intervention in the form of asthma educators.  Studies show that between $7 and $36 is saved in direct and indirect costs for every $1 invested in asthma education.  With more educators serving the asthmatic population, direct and indirect costs to the patient and the health sector could be significantly reduced.  

However, asthma educators must train "on-the-job," which means they must work in actual clinical sites to meet the 1,000 hour requirement for certification.  This training is not reimbursable by insurance, so it is a considerable expense for anyone wishing to become trained.  Following the 1,000 hours of training, the candidate must sit for a national board exam.  This rigorous training has led to only 2,700 certified asthma educators nationally and 100 in New York State.

With an urgent need to better manage asthma and reduce preventable health care costs, I respectfully request that a federal investment be made in increasing the number of certified asthma educators by using workforce development funding through Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act.  By investing in better education and treatment for those with asthma, we can improve health and reduce health care spending. Thank you for your consideration of this important request.  

Sincerely,

Kirsten Gillibrand
U.S. Senator