In 1999, the initial members of SDRAC came together with a common goal of establishing a plan to address asthma in San Diego County.  During the past eight years, the group has not only achieved its original goals, but also provided the leadership to grow the Coalition to achieve more ambitious goals. Today, the San Diego Regional Asthma Coalition is a collaboration of over fifty diverse agencies and individuals including local health and social service agencies, health care providers, health plans, school districts and educators, community-based organizations, and individuals with asthma.  The current mission of the Coalition is to provide leadership in identifying, developing, mobilizing and coordinating resources to prevent asthma and positively impact the lives of people affected by asthma in San Diego County. Its long-term vision is a community free of the burden of asthma, a place where every child with asthma is well managed and the environments in which they live support health.   The San Diego Regional Asthma Coalition has become an entity recognized for its policy work and expertise in asthma-related issues and data. The American Lung Association of California, San Diego Office is the fiscal sponsor of the coalition since its inception in 1999. Founded in 1904, the American Lung Association is the oldest voluntary health agency in the United States.  ALAC-San Diego, an affiliate of the national organization, has served the community since 1946.  ALAC is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization.  Initially, the Association’s purpose was to combat tuberculosis.  Programs have since been expanded to impact many facets of lung health. The mission of the American Lung Association is to prevent lung disease and promote lung health.  Research into the cause and treatment of lung disease is supported by research grants and training fellowships through the American Lung Association.

 SDRAC leads efforts in the areas of community networking and mobilization by creating strong relationships with organizations in the city and county of San Diego to bring greater attention to grass-roots community solutions to environmental issues.

• The goal of Community Action to Fight Asthma is to reduce environmental asthma triggers through public education and policies that promote “asthma friendly” environments where children live, learn, and play. San Diego’s CAFA site, Mid-City, was selected based on need and evidence of high childhood asthma rates. SDRAC has worked with Mid-City CAN to address the problem of overflowing trash, which was the number one concern identified by residents through a survey conducted by the National Latino Research Center.
•  Conducting air quality monitoring near Chollas landfill in City Heights through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant.
   
• Planting 25 low-allergy trees in Mid-City’s Somali community through funding provided by San Diego City Councilman Jim Madaffer. People for Trees and Horn of Africa will assist with this community project. Trees (urban forestry) are known to reduce air toxins and energy needs as well as improve air quality.
•  Working with the San Diego County Joint Health Literacy Project, Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) and the San Diego Council on Literacy (SDCOL), to utilize asthma educational materials for our Joint Health Literacy Project’s website. The materials have been reviewed to determine their literacy levels and reduced to a third grade level.  The San Diego Regional Asthma Coalition healthcare professional volunteers reviewed the materials to ensure the information is medically accurate and promotes the work of CHIP to enhance asthma education and awareness.

Melissa W. Stephens,  MS,  Asthma Coalition Coordinator

Dr. Michael Kelly, Coalition Chair

San Diego Regional Asthma Coalition is located at
American Lung Association of California
2750 Fourth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
1.619.683.7514
FAX 1.619.297.8402
mstephens@alac.org
http://asthmasandiego.org