Advocating for Patients

Asthma is one of the most common medical problems that occurs during pregnancy. It can be potentially serious. Asthma can get worse during pregnancy and lead to problems like high blood pressure, early labor and delivery, and low birth weight. Asthma can even cause death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks pregnancy-related deaths (from any cause) in the United States in a system called the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS) . The rate of maternal deaths...

Update as of March 2, 2021: Advocacy Action Alert! Ask your representatives to support t he Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2021 . Use our simple tool at the bottom of this blog post to email a letter or share your message on Twitter. Social and economic factors play a big role in health disparities in the United States. A health disparity is when a health condition, like asthma, affects one group of people differently than another group. In the U.S., Black, Hispanic, and...

Update as of March 2, 2021: Advocacy Action Alert! Ask your representatives to support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. Use our simple tool at the bottom of this blog post to email a letter or share your message on Twitter. On Feb. 8, 2021, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and other leaders of Congress introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act . The act is made up of 12 bills introduced by Black Maternal Health Caucus members.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is working with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) on important asthma research. The goal of this partnership is to provide helpful data to help reduce asthma disparities among minority groups. NMQF is a health care research and education nonprofit. Their mission is to reduce patient risk by assuring the best possible care for all. They combine data and knowledge to help end health disparities. This data helps health care providers,...

The New England Chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently hosted a webinar to examine health equity among Black Americans. Four experts joined the online discussion, titled “Speaker Series: Health Care Disparities in the Asthma and Allergy Community.” The panel looked at how these factors affect health equity: Social determinants of health Structural racism Implicit bias Asthma Disparities in America The burden of asthma in the U.S. falls disproportionately on...

The year 2020 was unlike any other – filled with loss and uncertainty for so many. With the nation still rocked by a global pandemic, this year is proving to be no different. Despite many obstacles, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) remains committed to advocating for the asthma and allergy community. Last year, we led and took part in more than 20 different coalitions working together to move bills through Congress and state governments. Four of the bills AAFA championed...

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Black Americans hard. According to The COVID Racial Data Tracker , the COVID death rate of Black Americans is 1.5 times that of white people. We now have two COVID-19 vaccines , with more on the way. While the vaccines offer hope overall, they raise other concerns. Many Black Americans may not be able to get it. Or they may choose to not to get it. The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) held a virtual town hall on Jan. 25, 2021, to examine barriers that may...

Asthma disparities among Black communities in the United States have existed for many decades. Experts have studied and noted the causes in great detail. Recently, the focus finally started to shift from talking about the problem to changing it.

New law will protect students with asthma and allergies!

Like many organizations, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The asthma and allergy community has been heavily impacted by several events of 2020: The public health emergency and economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic Loss of health care or delayed access to medications due to the pandemic Record-breaking wildfires and health impacts related to natural disasters and air pollution Widespread upheaval over racial...

It shouldn’t have happened. Not to Urainia Bendter. Not to her ex-husband. Not to her partner Lamont Sykes. Not to her grieving son. Not to her newborn daughter. And not to Adaora Elikwu. At only 12 years old, Adaora was destined for greatness. She knew what she wanted − to go an Ivy League school and be a lawyer one day. She was well on her way, having been accepted into the DREAM Specialized High School Institute to earn a seat at a specialized high school in New York City. Talkative and...

Update: It's official! On Jan. 5, 2021, the president signed the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act into law. Thank you to our community. Your efforts helped to get this bill signed into law, which will help thousands of students with asthma and allergies and their families nationwide. AAFA Celebrates Major Advocacy Win! Congress Passes School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act, H.R. 2468 Law gives greater protections and resources to students with asthma...