Welcome to the Merced/Mariposa County Asthma Coalition!

There are now more than 24 million Americans, including 7 million children, affected by this serious, chronic illness. It accounts for 3 million lost work days and 10 million lost school days annually.

Common environmental triggers include diesel exhaust, molds, tobacco, smoke, pollen and animal dander, just to name a few. Common symptoms include breathlessness, rapid breathing, wheezing and sudden fatigue while exercising. Also, people with asthma often suffer from recurrent sinus infections and frequent colds.

As a community we need to better understand the relationship of environmental triggers to the increased instance of asthma attacks. We need to work to reduce these triggers, recognize the signs of an asthma attack, make sure adults and children have asthma care action plans and medications, and that they have access to their medications at the workplace and at school. All children and their families should be receiving good medical care so they can successfully manage their asthma daily.

See our latest updates below...

Car Free Fridays PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 10 June 2009 23:04

 Good afternoon GVHC Green Team and Asthma Coalition members!

Do you know that the number of diagnosed asthmatics has gone up significantly in Merced County this year? Yep, 20% of our local children are diagnosed with asthma! I think a lot of people have become complacent about asthma and think it’s normal for so many people to carry around inhalers and don’t realize how unusual it really is compared to a lot of other places.

Well, if you are ready to do your part to clean the air and fight asthma and other chronic diseases then keep reading…

Our office is starting a challenge to each and every one of you to make a commitment to cleaner air this summer, and it’s called “Car-Free Fridays”. 

‘Car-Free Fridays’ is all about real people making real changes in their lives to reduce their driving. If everyone got out of their cars just one day we would reduce 20% of the pollution generated during the work-week! Wow! 20% for 20%...now that’s a motivator for me!

Start planning today to see if you can do it this Friday! What will it take for you? Arranging ride-sharing for your kids to go to school/daycare? Getting your bike tuned up? Buying a pair of roller blades or walking shoes? Researching bus routes? Talking to a co-worker about carpooling? It’s probably easier then you think!

Here are the top 5 reasons it would be great to start your ‘Car-Free Friday’ routine this week:
  1. The weather is perfect; in the 80’s all week! Not to cool to need a sweater and not too hot that you will get too sweaty.
  2. The air quality is ‘good’ (green flag) both today and projected for tomorrow. Let’s hope it stays that way!
  3. We live in the Valley!! We are so lucky to have predictable weather and FLAT surfaces; anyone can ride their bike, walk, etc. here.
  4. When you get out of your car you help de-stress yourself by exercising or just enjoying the ride.
  5. You save money on gas – it’s going up again, almost $3/gall!
Oh and you’re doing the right thing! 

Are you excited yet? Can you do it? I can’t wait to hear your stories about how you made it happen for you!

Sincerely,

Mary-Michal Rawling
Program Manager
Merced/Mariposa County Asthma Coalition
737 W. Childs Ave.
Merced, CA 95341
(209) 385-5490
(209) 384-3966 Fax
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.mmcac.com
Controlling asthma through awareness and education.
 
2009 National Asthma Forum PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 30 March 2009 03:32

Asthma Forum Banner

Take action to deliver high quality, comprehensive asthma care in your community!  Attend EPA's Communities in Action for Asthma-Friendly Environments National Forum,June 4-5, 2009, in Washington, DC. Register today!

The National Asthma Forum is a one-of-a-kind experience.  Past participants rave:

"Great Forum . . . This meeting was the first national meeting to keep me engaged and energized throughout. I love that you ask attendees their intentions and create accountabilities."
- Kim Davis, Non-profit Executive Director, Asthma Coalition of Texas

"I heard that this was a great conference and was not disappointed. Every minute of this conference was time well-spent."
- Reva Wittenberg, Washington State Department of Health

"I love this Forum! It is EXCELLENT! Every year, I leave knowing what successful things we've done and exactly what we need to do to improve our effort to reduce asthma in our community, and I'm really inspired to go do it."
-Kevin Kennedy, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics

Leading asthma programs will share strategies for How to Build Successful Community Asthma Control Systems…and Make Them Last. National experts and award-winning asthma programs will share tips for sustaining community asthma care programs that deliver the highest quality care.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to make your voice part of the dialogue and position yourself for leadership in our joint effort to bring asthma under control in the United States!

Visit www.epaasthmaforum.com for information and to register.  

 Join the Network!
www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org

This Online Network offers asthma programs a platform for real-time learning that can drive the ongoing improvement of asthma care. Join for free to work with -- and learn from -- leading programs. Become a partner in improving the lives of people with asthma across the nation.

To view EPA’s privacy and security notice, please click here.
To stop receiving messages from EPA's Indoor Air Quality Program, please click here.
Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. - Mail Code: 6609J - Washington, DC 20460
 

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