State Funding
(1/17 - Funding annoucement!)

State Funding

PROP. 10 FUNDING FOR ASTHMA - Click here to download the RFA.In January 2000, The California Children and Families Commission announced the award of $6.1 million for a two-year program to address asthma among children 0 to five years of age to be administered by the California Department of Health Services.

Unofficial announcement about Prop 10 Asthma Funding:

Joint community and treatment:

Alameda County ALA
San Diego
Asthma and Allergy Foundation (Southern CA)

Community only:

ALA Central Coast
San Francisco
Asthma Education Resource Council (Marin County)

CONGRATULATIONS!

The four major components of the program are described as:

1. multifaceted community interventions;
2. provider education to improve the quality of pediatric asthma health care services and management;
3. asthma treatment services for low-income families without health care coverage; and
4. evaluations of interventions and epidemiological studies.

This funding was part of $40 million approved by the State Commission for its first round of funding, aimed at addressing an array of education, child care and health related needs for children prenatal to age five and their families.

DHS has released the RFA for community asthma interventions and asthma treatment services in the upcoming month. If you are interested in this RFA, please send your name, organization name, mailing address, fax, email and phone to: plaija@dhs.ca.gov. or download it from their site. Click here.

DHS is currently completing its asthma strategic plan with its asthma advisory committee. Ronald M. Chapman, MD, MPH, has just been named the Chief of the Medicine and Public Health Section in the Chronic Disease Control Branch of DHS. He will oversee the administration of nine public health programs, including the Asthma Control Program.

ASTHMA FUNDING REMOVED FROM STATE BUDGET

In signing the state's budget, Governor Davis deleted the $9 million asthma funding that the American Lung Association helped to include in the legislature’s budget. This funding would have established a statewide asthma program and targeted public health activities in communities most heavily impacted by asthma. In his veto message, Governor Davis said that Proposition 10 and the Master Tobacco Settlement funds should provide the resources necessary to fund asthma prevention at the local level. What he failed to say is that Prop. 10 asthma funding can only be spent for children 0 to five years old, and that the tobacco settlement funds have all been allocated this year! Please contact Governor Davis to express your disappointment.

Paul Knepprath, ALA

FEDERAL FUNDING

President Clinton’s FY 2001 Budget proposal that was sent to Congress on Monday, February 7, 2000 included $100 million in demonstration grants to states ($50 million in each FY 2001 and 2002) to test innovative asthma disease management techniques for children enrolled in Medicaid in order to provide the most appropriate care, and keep their asthma in check. If Congress approves this budget item, this will be a considerable increase in asthma specific funding within the administration budget. In FY99 no funds were allocated specifically for asthma, and in the FY2000 appropriations by Congress included 11.3 million on asthma specific programs.

Urban Asthma Reduction Act of 1999 (Introduced in the House) H.R. 875. "To provide for programs to develop and implement integrated cockroach management programs in urban communities that are effective in reducing health risks to inner city residents, especially children, suffering from asthma and asthma-related illnesses." Last action: referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment on 3/16/1999.

Asthma Inhalers Regulatory Relief Act of 1999 (Introduced in the House ) H.R.136. "To limit the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to ban metered-dose inhalers." Last action: referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment on 1/20/1999.

There are many other bills that can affect asthma, including children’s health, school environmental improvement, and air quality legislation. For policy updates in the Federal government go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and type in the word "asthma". Please contact your representatives to encourage their support of asthma funding.

Grants

RWJ FUNDING

Action Against Asthma: Several groups across the region and 253 across the country replied to Robert Wood Johnson’s (RWJ) request for proposals, "Action for Asthma". San Francisco’s YES WE CAN Project (see profile on page 4) was one of 26 asked to submit a full proposal. RWJ plans to fund eight coalitions.

Improving Asthma Care for Children: A new national RWJ seeks to improve the management of asthma for children covered by Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance programs (SCHIP). Under the "Improving Asthma Care for Children" program, grantees will be expected to develop innovative clinical models of care for asthma that improve the health, quality of life, and functional status of children with asthma.

The models should demonstrate collaboration between a managed care organization and other key partners, and the system-wide changes should be sustainable. "Improving Asthma Care for Children" grant offers six three-year grants of up to $500,000.

Grants are available to support formal collaborations of managed care organizations (MCOs) and other providers of asthma care, such as school-based health centers, childcare agencies, public health agencies, and federally qualified health centers. All applicants must demonstrate an ability to improve pediatric asthma care within a managed care population of at least 20,000 Medicaid or SCHIP enrollees. Letters of intent are due September 1, 2000. For more information, go to http://www.rwjf.org/new/jwnew.htm.

FUNDING FOR RESEARCH CENTERS

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) invite applications from organizations to administer Asthma and Allergic Diseases Research Centers (AADRCs). This program is designed to support basic and clinical research on mechanisms of, and diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of, asthma and allergic diseases. The scientific scope of this program encompasses immunologically mediated inflammation and the role of innate and adaptive immunity as they pertain to asthma and allergic diseases. The estimated total funds (direct and facility and administrative available for the first year of support is $6,750,000. NIAID and NIEHS plan to make approximately six to eight awards under this program in FY 2001. Although not required, a letter of intent may be submitted by November 8, 2000. Applications are due by January 8, 2001.