Contact: Ross Porter
(619) 297-3901
or your local American Lung Association
at (800) LUNG-USA

Governor Vetoes Bill to Earmark Tobacco Settlement Funds for Healthcare

ALLIES AGAINST ASTHMA UNIFY
FOR HEALTHIER CHILDREN IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION

SAN DIEGO (December 20, 1999) -- Spurred by the prospect of a significant four-year grant from the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, health agencies and the county‰s public schools are finding new ways to team up to fight asthma in children. If all goes as planned, the "Allies Against Asthma" could direct more than $1,350,000 into asthma education and treatment.

Currently more than 53,000 children suffer from asthma in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The disease is having serious effects on the community:

• excessive school absences lower the educational achievement of county schools;
• caregivers unprepared to deal with asthma attacks are calling for help when it's too late;
• employers lose millions of dollars in productivity when workers take sick leave to care for ailing children.

"Allies Against Asthma" is the name for a consortium of organizations led by three agencies: the American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties (ALA SD/IC), HealthLink (an education and County of San Diego Health and Human Service Agency partnership), and the Center for Child Health Outcomes. "The consortium is developing a plan to fight asthma comprehensively and with unity," said Lynn Devine of ALA SD/IC.

"Allies Against Asthma" is now seeking to include all health providing agencies that have a commitment to fighting asthma, in order to use community resources most effectively and to find the matching funds required by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The ultimate goal is to implement an asthma control plan resulting in:

• fewer hospital admissions or emergency room visits
• fewer missed school days
• improved indoor air quality in places where children are
• enthusiasm and financing to keep up the fight for a decade or more

Asthma is the leading cause of serious chronic illness for all children in the United States. It affects approximately 7 percent of all children under the age of 18 in the United States today. Furthermore, African American and Latino children are disproportionately affected. Air pollution, cigarette smoke, furry or feathered animals, cockroaches, dust, molds, cleaning solutions, and exercise are all potential asthma triggers.

For more information on the Allies Against Asthma or to join the coalition, contact Lynn Devine of ALA SD/IC at 619-297-3901

###