CT Health Newsletters
University of Connecticut Health Center
Connecticut Health Signature Program Newsletter
Issue Seven - Fall 2003
www.connecticuthealth.org,
connecticuthealth@uchc.edu
CONNECTICUT HEALTH: SPOTLIGHT ON ASTHMA
Connecticut Schools, Indoor Air Quality, & Asthma
The Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the UConn
Health Center provides environmental health consulting and research
services to schools across the state of Connecticut. The Division has
developed the capacity to address problems facing Connecticut's schools
regarding environmental exposures and their health consequences for
school children and staff.
Health concerns arising from poor indoor environmental quality
typically focus on respiratory diseases. The number of children
suffering from asthma in the US is estimated to have increased by 49
percent since 1982. Not only has the prevalence of asthma increased, but
there also have been reports of increased severity. Increased school
absences resulting from respiratory problems affect the quality of life
at school and disrupt the learning process for many asthmatic students.
Among the several factors believed to be responsible for the
increased prevalence of asthma, the condition of school buildings is a
likely contributor. An estimated 68 percent of schools in Connecticut
report at least one unsatisfactory environmental factor, and 18.5
percent of the schools in Connecticut specifically have unsatisfactory
indoor air quality (GAO Report, 1995). Children spend more than a third
of their day in school buildings, and for many children school buildings
represent the site where they experience the largest exposure to indoor
air contaminants outside the home environment. Teachers, who spend more
time in the environment than the children, may receive a larger dose of
the offending agents and be at additional health risk.
The Division of Environmental Medicine at the UConn Health Center
maintains active collaborations with school systems across Connecticut.
The Division conducts environmental exposure assessments at the school
sites in order to better understand the causes of the health symptoms.
Efforts also focus on solving problems on a long-term basis, both by
assisting schools in utilizing the EPA “Tools for Schools” package and
in collaborating on research to design school building models that would
be resistant to indoor air problems.
For more information, please contact either Dr. Eileen Storey
(storey@nso.uchc.edu) or Paula
Schenck
(schenck@exchange.uchc.edu) or call (860) 679-2368.
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The UConn Health Center is active in virtually all 169 Connecticut
towns and works to meet a wide range of community and public health
needs.
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Easy Breathing: Primary Care Asthma Management
Michelle M. Cloutier, M.D., (860) 545-9442,
cloutier@nso1.uchc.edu
Easy Breathing is an asthma management program for busy, primary care
providers that is used by six primary care clinics in Hartford since
1998 and 20 private practices in the greater Hartford area since 2000.
The program was created by Michelle M. Cloutier, M.D., Director of the
Asthma Center at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. The goals of
Easy Breathing are to:
1) improve recognition of asthma,
2) improve classification of asthma severity,
3) assist providers in developing strategies and efficiencies in
providing care for children with asthma, and
4) provide a database for research.
Through the advocacy of the Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Foundation, Governor Rowland's office has recognized the importance of
Easy Breathing, budgeting $1,000,000 to implement Easy Breathing in
Connecticut communities over the next two years. The Asthma Center, in
collaboration with State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, is
working with the cities of Bridgeport, East Hartford, Manchester, New
Britain, New Haven, and Waterbury to bring Easy Breathing to their
community.
The goals of the Easy Breathing Community Initiative are to:
1) standardize asthma data collection across the communities
2) improve asthma management, and
3) decrease pediatric asthma morbidity in Connecticut.
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Greetings from the UConn Health Center!
As a state-supported institution, the UConn Health Center is
committed to applying its resources to the needs of the citizens of
Connecticut - and this includes the needs of the legislature!
On behalf of our faculty and staff, I would like to extend an offer
of assistance. Whether you need consultation on a complex health issue
or assistance in developing health-related and scientifically sound
legislation, our faculty and staff would welcome the opportunity to
support you and your staff in tackling our state's health and public
health concerns.
Peter J. Deckers, M.D.
Executive Vice President
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Did you know . . . ?
- More than 17 million Americans are estimated to have asthma and
over 5,300 deaths in the United States are attributed to the disease
each year.
- Cases of asthma have risen about 75 percent since 1980,
particularly among blacks and poor, inner-city populations.
- The number of children suffering from asthma in the US is
estimated to have increased by 49 percent since 1982.
- More than 80 percent of people with asthma are allergic to one
or more allergens.
**Source: MSNBC News: Health
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UCAN Control Asthma Program
Researchers from the UConn Health Center are working with four
federally qualified community health centers to address the asthma
epidemic among Connecticut's inner-city children. The four centers are
located in three Connecticut cities, Waterbury, Bridgeport, and New
Haven, which ranked among the 20 cities and towns in Connecticut with
the highest asthma rates. By nature of its design, the study recruits
children in Medicaid Managed Care and currently has 321 participants
ages 5-18. All sites have worked together to improve asthma outcomes as
asthma continues to be associated with high costs and episodic care
seeking.
The three-year study has investigated effective and affordable
chronic care models in primary care settings through monitoring,
technology, and family-focused education. The project supports the
development of an organizational environment capable of delivering
chronic care, including the incorporation of a computer support system
and a community health worker for each site to screen and track asthma
patients. The study assesses the effect of bringing new chronic care
resources to the Medicaid managed care environment on asthma outcomes in
pediatric patients.
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“The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means
and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be
summed up in these two - common sense and perseverance.”
- Owen Feltham -
Connecticut Health
University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-3967
Phone: (860) 679-3236
Fax: (860) 679-1101
Email: kpasquale@nso1.uchc.edu
www.connnecticuthealth.org
END OF NEWSLETTER |
