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PR THE FIRST LADY ANNOUNCES NEW PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EFFORTS TO FIGHT ASTHMA--FACT SHEETS

Release Date: 05/21/98
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The First Lady Announces New Public and Private Efforts to Fight Asthma

                          May 21, 1998

     Today, at Children's Hospital in Washington, the First Lady will announce new efforts to raise awareness of asthma in children.  Joined by Secretary Shalala and Administrator Browner, as well as Elmo and Luis from Sesame Street, she will unveil new steps to inform parents and communities about ways to manage asthma and prevent attacks.

A Dramatic Increase in Asthma Rates. Recent reports have found an alarming rise of childhood asthma in the United States.  Approximately five million children now suffer from asthma; even more troubling, the incidence of asthma in children under age five has increased 160 percent from 1980 to 1994.  With 150,000 children being hospitalized each year from asthma, it is now the leading cause of hospitalization for children due to chronic illness, at a cost of $1.9 billion in medical expenses every year.  And children are hospitalized more than any other age group.  Asthma is also the leading cause of school absenteeism among school children due to chronic illness, costing 10 million missed school days each year.

Educating Parents and Child Care Providers about Asthma. Today, the American Lung Association, and the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) are joining together in a partnership to educate parents and providers about asthma.  NACCRRA will distribute to its network of child care providers a variety of materials, including Children's Television Workshop's Sesame Street A is for Asthma educational kits, which promote awareness of childhood asthma as a chronic illness, and support families and health communities in helping children ages three to six understand and cope with the illness. The kit is comprised of a specially produced Sesame Street video featuring Elmo, Rosita and Luis, and a new Muppet character, Dani, who suffers from asthma.

Giving Parents the Tools they Need to Help their Children. The First Lady will also announce a new "right-to-know" tool -- the National Ozone Map -- to give families the information they need daily to protect their children from harmful air pollution.  This new Ozone Map is available on the Internet
(https://www.epa.gov/airnow) and will be distributed to local weather broadcasts.  It contains color-coded information on levels of ozone in communities, its movement throughout the day, and forecast maps of the next day's predicted smog levels.  Children are at special risk from exposure to ozone and smog because it can aggravate asthma attacks.  The ozone map will help families make more informed decisions about their children's health, particularly for children with asthma or respiratory ailments.

Helping Communities to Take Action to Protect Children's Health. The First Lady will also announce a new pilot program -- the Child Health Champion Campaign -- to jump start community efforts to identify local environmental risks and take action to protect children. The Campaign will provide grants and technical assistance to 11 pilot communities to identify environmental risks to children, such as second-hand smoke and air pollution, which lead to the exacerbation of asthma and other illnesses.  In each of the communities, local health care providers, teachers, government officials,
and business owners will be recruited to lead the community in: 1) identifying children's health hazards; 2) setting community-specific goals to protect children; and 3) developing action plans to eliminate health risks to children. Anacostia, here in Washington, is one of the selected communities.

             CHILD HEALTH CHAMPION PILOT COMMUNITIES
                   To Protect Children's Health

     To improve children's health by reducing environmental hazards, EPA is providing grants directly to 11 communities with demonstrated needs.  These grants   of $135,000 over 2 years   will provide communities with important new tools to improve children's health, often times by working directly in homes and schools in cooperation with families and community leaders.  Whether it be widespread incidences of asthma, lead poisoning, or unsafe drinking water   at risk communities will benefit from enhanced community-based efforts.  


     Specifically, in each of these communities, a Community Team consisting of local health care providers,
teachers, government officials, and business owners will be recruited to lead the community in identifying: 1) children's health hazards; 2) setting community-specific goals to protect children; and 3) developing action plans to eliminate health risks to children.

CHEROKEE NATION, TALEQUAH, OKLAHOMA A large percentage of the Cherokee Nation population relies on private water sources, some of which have been shown to have elevated levels of coliform and fecal coliform bacteria.  The Cherokee Nation will use the funds to educate families about the prevention of  health risks associated with coliform bacteria in water.

CHIPPEWA CREE TRIBE, ROCKY BOY'S RESERVATION, MONTANA Children of the tribe face environmental health risks from several sources including exposure to aerial spraying of pesticides, drinking water contamination, and lead-based paint.   The Chippewa Cree Tribe, the grantee, will work with a Community Team to educate tribal members about the prevention of pesticide exposure to children.

EAST SIDE/PICO SECTION, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA  The Los Angeles area has more bad air days than any other area in the U.S.  The effects on human health from smog are revealed in greater numbers of health problems such as sore throats, headaches, eye irritation, chest discomfort, and asthma.  The grantee will be the American Lung Association.  Community Team members such as the Mothers of East L.A. will sponsor youth teams who will provide asthma education in homes.

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE The highest percentage of children suffering from lead poisoning in New Hampshire live in Manchester. Within the state student population, the highest percentage with asthma attend Manchester schools.  The Community Team will work to promote healthy homes and safe schools.

NEAR SOUTH/NORTH SIDE SECTIONS, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN  The asthma incidence in the near south/north side sections of Milwaukee is four times the average in Wisconsin and is by far the most common reason for admission to Children's Hospital.  The Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, the grantee, will work with the Community Team to address both indoor and outdoor air pollutants.

IRONBOUND SECTION, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY  Recreational activities for children have been restricted because of air pollution in this community, which is bounded by major transportation thoroughfares, including the New Jersey Turnpike, three state routes, and the Newark Airport.  Existing and proposed incinerators have raised health concerns within the community.  The Ironbound Community Corporation will receive a grant to assist the Community Team in its efforts to protect children.

NEW MADRID COUNTY, MISSOURI Threats to children's health in three communities in New Madrid County, Missouri include inadequate drinking water and wastewater treatment  and water contamination by agricultural runoff. Children also face a high risk of exposure to lead, radon, and carbon monoxide in local housing --  82 percent of the housing was deemed substandard, according to a 1997 study.   The Great River Alliance of Natural Resource Conservation Districts will use the funds to work with Howardsville, Lilbourn, and North Lilbourn to address inadequate drinking water and wastewater treatment concerns.

NOGALES, ARIZONA Air pollution poses a significant health threat to children in this border community.  There is a high incidence of respiratory illness -- including asthma -- among children and public health emergencies are declared often in the winter.  Child and Family Resources, the grantee, will work with the Community Team to reduce the number of hospital admissions and emergency room visits by children due to upper respiratory illnesses and asthma.

PRICHARD, ALABAMA Children in Prichard may face health risks from lead based paint and from consuming fish caught in Eight Mile Creek -- Alabama's most contaminated water shed.  The City of Prichard will use the funds to work with the Community Team in identifying and preventing environmental health threats.

TOPPENISH, WASHINGTON Toppenish is an agricultural community with a high incidence of asthma among the children.  It is believed that the soil in and around Toppenish contains very high levels of arsenic and the river has elevated levels of DDT.  The grantee, the Yakima Valley Farm Worker's Clinic, will work with the Community Team to reduce the number of asthma cases through home visits and school interventions.

ANACOSTIA SECTION, WASHINGTON, D.C. Children living in public housing and attending public schools in Anacostia face environmental health risks from lead, mold, mildew, radon, and pesticides present in buildings.  Schools in the community require significant repairs to improve air and drinking water quality.