Advocate for Tuberculosis Program Funds

from "American Lung Association of California Sets Public Policy Priorities", Public Policy Update, Breathe Easy news magazine, Spring/Summer 2001

While tuberculosis (TB) cases have decreased in California, it is still a serious public health threat. Despite progress, California has the highest number and second highest rate of TB in the United States, and continues to recover from the 1985-92 resurgence when the number of new cases rose 54 percent.

The American Lung Association of California will continue to advocate for tuberculosis funding to help eradicate the disease, which can be deadly when inadequately treated. The association is working with the Health Officers Association of California and the California Tuberculosis Controllers Association to secure increased funding for local health departments.

"We cannot relax simply because the tuberculosis rates are declining," says Barbara Cole, RN, MSN, PHN, a member of the American Lung Association of California’s Tuberculosis Technical Advisory Group. "The numbers are dropping precisely because we have been investing in tuberculosis control. If this support erodes, we face an inevitable increase in tuberculosis."