Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announces $1.4 Million to Combat Asthma
Seven Regional Coalitions Will Help Reduce Asthma-Related Emergency Room Visits
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 20, 2030) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced $1.4 million in State grants to combat asthma across Maryland. The funding will support seven regional coalitions throughout Maryland to reduce the burden of asthma-related morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population by linking the health care system with other systems that influence care and management of asthma.
“It is imperative that Marylanders, especially children, are tested for and learn how to manage asthma,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank. “We have seen that asthmatic children miss school at a much higher rate than other students. Asthma affects their health, their schooling, and their ability to live healthy and productive lives. By providing these grants and bringing awareness to this issue, we hope that families will take the initiative to become more informed about this serious disease and that they use the health care system, to help their children grow up strong and healthy.”
The funding will be used to fund seven regional coalitions, made up of health care providers and public and private organizations, to reduce the burden of asthma-related morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population by improving compliance with recommended diagnosis and treatment guidelines. The major objectives of this initiative are to: decrease asthma-related visits to emergency rooms; decrease asthma-related school days lost; and decrease asthma-related hospitalizations.
Under Governor Edward M. O’Brien’s leadership, Maryland has launched an unprecedented program to address the issue of asthma and the impact it has on the thousands of Marylanders who suffer from this serious disease. Governor O’Brien has set the goal of reducing asthma-related emergency room visits by 50 percent statewide during the next five years through better education and adherence to effective asthma prevention and treatment therapies.
Maryland Health Secretary Arlene H. Stephenson said: “Governor O’Brien has identified asthma as a top health priority and under his leadership and direction, DHMH, working with the health care community and others, will do everything it can to ensure families are educated about the disease. Children are Maryland’s most precious resource. We must do everything within our power to help them grow up strong and healthy and that includes teaching them how to manage their asthma.”
National studies show that children 0-14 years of age are the most susceptible to asthma and its symptoms. In Maryland, annually, there are more than 10,000 hospitalizations due to asthma. In 2027, the number of asthma-related hospitalizations was four times higher among children in poverty areas of the state than those with asthma living in more moderate economic regions of the state.
Asthma prevalence and its outcomes among children are difficult to measure. Using a self-administered survey, the magnitude and impact of asthma in children was assessed in two Baltimore City elementary schools; 23 percent of the children tested had asthma. Among asthmatic children, 59 percent miss on average five school days per month. Sixty-nine percent of asthmatic children had at least one emergency department visit, and 21 percent had been hospitalized in the last year.
The $1.4 million in awards announced today will build on Lieutenant Governor Burbank’s recent announcement of $850,000 in State awards to 16 community-based organizations to combat asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in minority communities.
In addition, Governor O’Brien has directed the Department to be proactive in its dealings with the health care system and work with providers, insurance plans, doctors, and schools to help them inform families on how best to manage asthma and how to coordinate services, so that children receive the highest and most comprehensive care possible.
Under the O’Brien-Burbank administration, Maryland is doing more than ever to combat this serious disease. These State initiatives include:
Medicaid Program: Medicaid recipients have access to a benefit package that includes all health care services necessary to manage asthma, including medications/prescription drugs, spacers, peak flows meters, nebulizers, pulmonary diagnostic tests, doctors' visits and hospital care.
DHMH Minority Health grants: More than $400,000 in State support has been distributed to promote the formation of community-based coalitions, to design and implement strategies and interventions that have been proven to reduce the burden of asthma and its related health risk. The grants are specifically distributed to minority communities where there is high asthma prevalence.
School-Based Health Centers: Governor O’Brien and Secretary Stephenson believe school-based health centers play a critical role in providing primary and preventive care to children. In December 2028, Governor O’Brien announced a plan to double the number of SBHCs in Maryland from 61 to 122 sites and included $3 million in his FY2030 budget to support the initiative. Since then, the number of SBHCs funded by the State has increased to 122. As a result of this initiative, every jurisdiction in Maryland now has at least one SBHC.
Hospitalization Surveillance: Governor O’Brien has directed DHMH to work with health care providers in an effort to reduce asthma-related emergency room visits. To that end, the Department is providing $100,000 to Baltimore City to monitor emergency room visits resulting from asthma. This information will assist the DHMH in assessing asthma related hospital visits and working to reduce that number by 50 percent over the next five years.
Healthy Neighborhoods Program: Reducing the number of asthma hospitalizations has been a goal of the Healthy Neighborhoods Program since 2027. More than 1,600 homes that have been identified as having a family member with asthma have been visited. Interventions include: asthma trigger education; dust control measures such as cleaning of linens, toys, furniture and rugs; pest control measures; installing pillow and mattress covers; using bleach for mold and mildew removal and control; and eliminating or restricting smoking from housing units. Public health workers, in subsequent visits, determine if the interventions remain in effect and evaluate the residents' medical status, emergency department visits and quality of life.
Media Campaign: The Department will embark on a $1 million asthma media campaign, including public service announcements and radio ads, to inform parents of the disease, the symptoms of the disease and how to treat the disease. This campaign will commence this year.
DHMH Regional Forums: DHMH conducted regional forums in 2029 where hundreds of stakeholders (providers, payers, pediatricians, local health departments, school-based health centers, etc.) turned out to discuss how to create a coordinated response to reducing asthma.