The Sonoma County Asthma Coalition was formed in 2002 in response to the growing local concern about asthma. Approximately 30 organizations work together to improve the quality of life for people with asthma, and to advocate for policies that reduce asthma environmental triggers in homes, schools, and in the community. We are housed at the American Lung Association of California’s Santa Rosa Office.

World Asthma Day Report to the Community:

In spring of 2008 we released our ”Report to the Community on Housing and Asthma” on World Asthma Day, and the story was covered by KRCB radio, the Rohnert Park Community Voices newspaper, the Press Democrat, the Sonoma West Times, the West County Gazette, and other local media outlets. The report was distributed to 10,000 individuals and organizations in Sonoma County, including doctors, hospitals and clinics, landlords, elected officials, county departments, housing organizations, environmental groups, people with asthma, and others.

Schools:

The Coalition successfully advocated for West Sonoma County Union High School District to change its conventional all-purpose cleaner to the environmentally preferred product, Envirox H2Orange, for the 2008-09 school year.

Taking a page from the EPA Tools for Schools Program, our coalition staff trained high school math students in the West Sonoma County Union High School District to administer environmental assessments using classroom trigger lists in two high schools. Students administered the checklists, educated teachers on identified areas for improvement, and then re-administered the checklists one month later. Students performed statistical analysis on improvements made through the project.

This year we are once again conducting Kickin’ Asthma and Open Airways classes for five West Sonoma County high schools and elementary schools.

In support of our Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative we plan on distributing School Nurse Asthma Toolkits to our Sonoma County School Nurses Association members in the spring of 2009 in conjunction of with an Asthma in-service training sponsored by the association.

Our coalition continues to provide asthma education for our local Sonoma County school administrators, faculty and staff on the connections between indoor air quality and asthma at schools.

Housing:

In 2007-08 staff surveyed local county and city building officials to determine knowledge of relationship between asthma and indoor air quality, and to assess current housing code enforcement practices related to indoor air quality

As a result of our survey the Coalition will sponsor two workshops based on the National Center for Healthy Housing’s course “Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners” in the spring of 2009 targeting local code enforcement officials and environmental health / public health workers.

Sonoma County Asthma Coalition was appointed to the Santa Rosa City Council Advisory Committee on Green Building Policy, which in the fall of 2008 made recommendations to the city council on strengthening and expanding its green building ordinance and programs.

The Coalition has worked closely with California Rural Legal Assistance and Northern California Center for Well-Being to address tenant complaints about mold and second-hand smoke. The groups work together to address the best way for tenants to proceed with complaints (through education and mediation with landlords or with legal options).

Successes:

Successfully advocated for passage of a Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Resolution in 2005 highlighting links between indoor air quality and asthma in Sonoma County and calling upon the Department of Health to work cooperatively in the county to educate property owners and tenants on improving poor indoor air quality.

In collaboration with local advocates for sustainable development successfully advocated for the City of Santa Rosa to adopt mandated green building policies, first adopted in 2007 and revised in Feb. 2009. Currently five of the nine cities in Sonoma County have passed green building ordinances with others in development.

In 2006, successfully advocated with Burbank Housing Development Corporation, the largest developer of low-income housing in the county, to implement three new green building practices in all new developments (improved ventilation systems in units, use of no or low VOC indoor paints, and landscaping with low allergen plants). Burbank Housing continues these healthier practices in all new developments.

In 2007, submitted recommendations to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for the county’s General Plan 2020 revision process. The Coalition’s recommendations focused on improving air quality through the implementation of comprehensive green building standards, improving zoning to allow more walk and bike-ability to schools and in neighborhoods, and supporting existing greenbelt community separator zones to prevent urban sprawl. Final adoption of these changes to the General Plan elements is still forthcoming in 2008-09.

In spring of 2008, the Coalition developed a fact sheet called “Healthy Choices for Landlords & Homeowners: How to renovate and maintain homes using environmentally preferable products & practices” with the City of Rohnert Park that will be distributed in Feb. 2009 as an insert with water utility bills to 43,000 city residents and businesses.

Meet Coalition Staff:

Associate Director Al Lerma chairs our Housing Indoor Air Quality Committee that focuses on policy and advocacy issues for local housing in Sonoma County. He is a member of the Sonoma County Healthy by Design Committee and is the coalition representative to the Accountable Development Coalition, an alliance of local organizations working to ensure that development in Sonoma County is environmentally sustainable, equitable, and accountable to all segments of the community.

Our new Program Manager Kathleen Cortez oversees our school related policy and advocacy efforts including reducing environmental asthma triggers through asthma education, conversion to green cleaning products in local schools, and advocating for school wellness policies that incorporate asthma education and lead to improved IAQ in local schools.

Click here to see previous coalition spotlights