Asthma is a serious problem among members of Florida’s poor and minority populations.
In 2011, the American Lung Association in Florida released a statement regarding a report called “Luchando por el Aire (Fighting for Air): The Burden of Asthma on Hispanics.” The report was originally issued as part of the American Lung Association’s “Disparities in Lung Health” series.
“In Florida, there are more than 4 million Hispanics, many of whom may be needlessly suffering from asthma,” stated Martha Bogdan, chief executive officer and president of the American Lung Association in Florida. “But without access to the necessary healthcare, this manageable and treatable disease can become very serious, even life threatening.”
Also in Florida, about 1,200 African-Americans per 100,000 visit emergency rooms for asthma care. For whites, the number is 300 per 100,000. Betty Burney, a former director of Project Reach and superintendent of Jacksonville, Fla., public schools, publicized the issue after investigating truancy in some of Florida’s public schools.
“A lot of them lived in old homes, with asbestos and other substances, and they were sick” Burney told The Florida Times Union. “But the parents just didn't know what to do. ... They had just accepted it as a fact of life.”
Asthmapolis and Amerigroup Florida have just announced a mobile health solution to address the problem of asthma. The regimen combines snap-on sensors with Web and mobile applications.
The program’s objectives include helping people to adhere to daily medication prescriptions, providing insights about the use of rescue medications and delivering both targeted feedback and educational tools.
According to reporting from Scientific American, 12 percent of children from poor families have asthma. Only eight percent of children in families above the poverty line also have the disease.
“If you're in an older home, you're more likely to have lead paint, and you're also more likely to have mold, mildew, a leaky roof and all those other issues that predispose you to asthma,” noted Dr. William Kincaid of the St. Louis Regional Asthma Consortium.
Scientists also cited the stresses of living in low-income areas, such as high crime rates, as negatively impacting children’s immune systems.
Amerigroup Florida focuses solely on meeting the healthcare needs of Florida’s most financially vulnerable citizens. “This new approach will reduce the number of preventable asthma attacks and asthma related emergency room visits and hospitalizations for our members,” said Amerigroup Florida chief medical officer Dr. Eina Fishman.
Edited by
Brooke Neuman
