Pew Charitable Trust
Grantee Publications

According to, Return on Investment of Nationwide Health Tracking,  an expenditure of $275 million--about $1 for every American--along with the public health interventions developed with information from the network, would return to the federal government alone an estimated $540 million savings in reduced health care costs (August 2001).

Short of Breath: Our Lack of Response to the Growing Asthma Epidemic and the Need for Nationwide Tracking

The Trust for America's Health  reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found that 27 states fail to track asthma. TFAH then compared the states' lack of tracking with environmental release data from sources such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Defense 
(July 2001).

Mississippi Case Study
Asthma sweeping poor communities in 
Mississippi Delta.
(April 2001)

 Read Attack Asthma: Why America Needs A Public Health Defense System to Battle Environmental Threats, the Pew Environmental Health Commission's latest report on why America needs a public health defense system to battle environmental threats
(April 2000).

The American Lung Association in conjunction with the American Thoracic Society released the Asthma Research Centers Progress Report 2000 and the Asthma Clinical Research Centers Progress Report 2000.

New Study of Rising Economic Costs Associated with Asthma Shows too Many Patients Remain in Crisis

A newly released national study shows that costs associated with asthma shot up 54% over a ten-year period, clearly indicating that an alarmingly high number of Americans frequently seek crisis care. The study is based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics.  Costs of asthma data is available on-line for all  50 states and major cities exceeding 100,000. The abstract and full article appears in the September 2000 issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
Faith in Action Programs

Faith in Action programs bring together religious congregations of all faiths, and other community organizations such as hospices, clinics, and hospitals, in a common mission to provide volunteer care to their neighbors in need. With more Americans living longer lives, many of us face the challenge of caring for a family member, neighbor, or friend who suffers from arthritis, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, AIDS, or other long-term health conditions.

Download partial application packet.

Note: To apply, you must contact the Faith in Action National Program Office for a complete application packet at:

Faith in Action Program
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
P.O. Box 2316
Princeton, NJ 08543
Phone (toll-free): 877-324-8411
Email: grants@FIAVolunteers.org

Quick Tips

• Practice Management: Tips to Increase Patient Satisfaction
  
  Patients evaluate the quality of their health care based on how satisfied they are with their care. There are many steps that can help you meet your patients' needs and in turn have more satisfied patients. Some steps are relatively simple, while others require investment of more time or resources. However, these steps can help improve patient adherence to treatment plans and help you demonstrate the value of your practice to managed care organizations.  Tips are from the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology.

•  Tips for Conducting Medical Chart Review:
   Assessing Quality of Primary Care Through Medical Record Review: Lessons & Opportunities - June 2000.  
  
  Tip from the:  
  Office of Health Policy
  Jefferson Medical College
  1015 Walnut St.
  Philadelphia, PA

• Using a Compressor Driven Nebulizer for Children and Adults:
  
  For best effect, make sure breathing in  takes longer than breathing out and you are breathing at the slowest rate possible.
  
  Tip submitted by: 
  Thomas F. Plaut, M.D., author of "One Minute Asthma:  What you Need to Know"

•  Pediatric Tip:
  
  1.  Spacers require that you take a deep breath and hold to a count of 10.  Developmentally most children cannot do this before the age of 6.  For those children there are spacers with a tight-sealing face mask so they only have to do 5-7 breaths for each puff.
  
  2. If you are getting resistance from your younger child about taking their maintenance asthma medications, both the nebulizer or a masked spacer can be used while a sound sleeper is sleeping. 
  
  Tip submitted by:
  Rhoda Spaulding, MSN, FNP
  UMASS-Memorial Health Care, University Campus
  Pediatric Pulmonary, Asthma & Cystic Fibrosis Center
  55 Lake Avenue, North
  Worcester, MA  01655, (508) 856-4155

• What to tell your asthma patients:
  
  1)  If you feel an asthma episode coming on, use deep breathing.  Slow deep breaths can calm you down and keep you in control while you seek treatment.
  
  2)  Learn your "triggers" and avoid them.  Keep track of your episodes noting your situation at the time.  Then, study the list to determine the common factor with each episode. If possible, avoid or alter these situations.  
  
  Tip submitted by: 
  Caroline Faulkingham, RRT
  Program Coordinator/ Health Reach Respiratory,
  a collaborative effort by area physicians at the Exeter Hospital, Exeter Health Care, Rockingham VNA & Hospice, and Exeter Hospital Associates.  
  Contact:  1-800-4-EXETER

• Spacer Tip:
  
  Remember to order a SPACER for every child who needs a medication delivered by metered dose inhaler.  
  
  Tip submitted by:
  Pat Heinrich, RN, BSN
  Quality Improvement Specialist
  National Initiative for Child Health Care Quality
  Institute for Health Care Improvement
  135 Francis Street, 
  Boston, MA  02215