Reducing Exposures to Reverse Rates of Chronic Disease
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Asthma and the Environment
Enhancing Environmental Investments for Asthma
The Environmental Health Program works in partnership with the Asthma Regional Council to provide leadership and conduct relevant research and analysis on a major New England-wide initiative to advance the delivery and financing of home-based environmental interventions for asthma (e.g., supplies and services such as integrated pest management, smoking cessation, and education about environmental triggers).
The premise of the initiative is that if environmental interventions – now shown to be effective in improving asthma symptoms and financially viable – are to be sustainable, and if they are to meet their potential to help reduce the burden of asthma, they need to be embedded in traditional delivery systems and financed by those funding sources that pay for health care.
Following up on a successful symposium for health payers that the Environmental Health Program organized with ARC, staff assisted two health payers in the design of in-home programs to provide families with information, materials and services to reduce asthma triggers.
In partnership with ARC and Children’s Hospital, the Environmental Health Program developed two analyses for use by providers, payers and advocates: 1) a “business case,” exploring the cost-effectiveness of in-home environmental interventions and asthma education more broadly; 2) a review of current policies, benefits and programs of Massachusetts payers related to in-home environmental interventions.
In addition to activities with payers and providers, the Environmental Health Program and ARC began to work with public health departments including a symposium in September 2006 in which the Environmental Health Program presented case-studies of effective home-based asthma management programs offered by health departments from around the country.
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