ST. PAUL, Minn. –The state Health Department has established a 10-year plan to help 422,000 Minnesotans who suffer asthma. Jan Malcolm. state health commissioner, said the goal is to reduce the burden of uncontrolled asthma, with better hospitalization and emergency room care, fewer days of missed school or work, and reducing health care costs. Among specific goals:
> Improving support for people with asthma.
> Building statewide partnerships with health systems, local public health agencies, schools and businesses.
> Collecting and analyzing asthma-related trends.
> Eliminating asthma health disparities.
> Reducing environmental factors that trigger asthma episodes.
> Improving personal skills and tools to manage asthma.
> Devising policies to improve asthma management.
Malcom said one in 20 Minnesota children and one in 190 adults have asthma. The state’s asthma health disparities are among the worst in the nation, especially among ow-income groups and communities of color, she said.