The American Lung Association is warning that 25 million Americans, including 7 million children, who suffer from asthma could be put at risk if the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Asthma Control Program (NACP) is eliminated, as proposed by President Obama and the CDC. The president’s budget intends to reduce the number of states funded by the NACP from 36 to 15, which will drastically affect these programs.
The Association is calling on concerned citizens to contact their members of Congress on Tuesday, February 28, to urge them to save the NACP.
Since its inception, the NACP has worked to create an integrated and coordinated public health response to asthma control. The program’s efforts have put tracking systems in place that allow officials to track and better understand asthma trends. This allows decision makers to focus resources on strategies that work and populations most in need.
The American Lung Association argues that any attempt to eliminate the NACP would significantly set back the 13 years of progress made in managing this disease. The consequences would substantially reduce a state’s capacity to implement a proven public health response to the disease as well as dramatically reduce surveillance measures that track progress in reducing asthma attacks.
Instructions and talking points for calls to members of Congress are available at the Association’s Web site.
Source: American Lung Association
