Asthma in Oregon About Us

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Asthma in Oregon

Department
- Human Services Department
- Divisions

About Us

Mission Statement

To improve the quality of life for Oregonians with asthma.

Organization

Annual Performance Measures *Why We're Here:* Asthma is serious Asthma is a major burden to the quality of life of Oregonians with asthma, their family and friends, and society as a whole. Asthma is a chronic lung disease involving ongoing inflammation and narrowing of airways due to spasm of the muscles surrounding the airway walls. There is no cure for asthma, but it can be controlled with quality medical care and good patient self-management. Asthma is common Asthma affects more than 345,000 Oregonians. Approximately 9.9% of Oregon adults (274,000 adults) and 8.4% of Oregon children (73,000 children) have asthma. The asthma prevalence for adults in Oregon is considerably higher than the U.S. figure of 7.9%. In Oregon, 12.4% of adult women and 7.4% of adult men have asthma. 10% of 8th and 11th grade students in Oregon report having asthma. In the U.S., asthma prevalence has been increasing slowly but steadily for more than twenty-five years. Oregonians have approximately 2,500 hospitalizations for asthma each year. Asthma has a bigger impact on people with lower incomes 15% of people who make less than $15,000 a year have asthma. That percentage drops to 12% for people making $15,000 to $24,999 a year and drops further to 8-9% for people who report incomes of $25,000 a year or more. Asthma prevalence is much higher among people served by Medicaid (20.7%) than for people with private insurance or Medicare (9.2%) or for people without health insurance (9.4%). People with asthma who make less than $15,000 a year are about four times as likely to have missed at least one day of work, school, or other daily activities in the past three months compared to people with asthma who make $50,000 or more a year. Asthma is costly In 2005, hospitalizations in which asthma was the primary discharge diagnosis cost more than $23.5 million. 12% of adult Oregonians with asthma report missing at least one day of work, school, or other daily activities due to asthma in the past three months. 44% of adult Oregonians with asthma report at least one night of disturbed sleep due to asthma in the past month. Asthma is controllable Almost all people with asthma can lead active, healthy lives if their asthma is well-controlled. More than 20% of Oregonians aged 4 to 55 years with persistent asthma are not using appropriate medication to control their disease. Regular use of effective medication by all Oregonians with asthma could reduce asthma-related hospitalizations in the state by 35-40%. *What We're Doing:* Building an asthma network The Oregon Asthma Network has over 1,600 physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, health plans, community organizations, environmental organizations, government agencies, schools, people with asthma and their caregivers, and others who are concerned about the disease in Oregon. The Network serves as a forum for people to exchange ideas on ways to improve quality of life for Oregonians with asthma. Tracking asthma The Oregon Asthma Program collects and analyzes data for Oregon. Asthma data helps to inform Asthma Program activities as well as addresses the needs of the public to learn more about asthma in their community. Through a collaborative effort with Oregon's Medicaid program (DMAP), health plans and health systems, and community partners, the Asthma Data Workgroup is identifying and analyzing data sources, data needs, and data gaps. The Physician's Advisory Council on Asthma serves as an advisory board that provides guidance on activities conducted by the Oregon Asthma Program, including surveillance. Improving asthma care The Guide to Improving Asthma Care in Oregon: Indicators for Quality Care in Health Systems and related tools such as the Quick reference pocket guide (.pdf) have been developed to steer efforts to improve asthma management and to define appropriate indicators for monitoring the quality of medical care provided to Oregonians with asthma. Encouraging self-management The Self-Management of Asthma Workgroup continues to add to the Oregon Asthma Resource Bank, a comprehensive web site containing evaluated material for a variety of populations, from which camera-ready educational materials can be downloaded for free. Addressing tobacco and asthma A Call to Action: the Asthma-Tobacco Integration Project. Strong evidence suggests that tobacco smoke is detrimental to the health of people with asthma, but Oregonians who have asthma smoke more than those who do not have asthma. Creating asthma-friendly schools Asthma-friendly schools are those that create safe and supportive learning environments for students with asthma. The Schools and Asthma Workgroup addresses top priorities around asthma in schools, and the Asthma Friendly Schools (AFS) Demonstration Project assists schools in using a coordinated school health approach to address the needs of students with asthma. (See HKLB website: www.hklb.org/)

Page updated: September 21, 2007

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