Federal Agencies and Organizations Addressing Environmental Asthma

EPA works with federal agencies, national nonprofit organizations, and EPA regional offices to encourage integration of outreach and education on environmental asthma triggers.

On this page:

• Federal Agencies
• National Organizations

On other pages:

• Regional and State Indoor Air Quality Contact Information

• Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities

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Federal Agencies

EPA works closely with these federal partners to advance asthma control and care in communities across the country.

To learn more about a federal interagency collaboration to help ensure healthy homes and communities exist for our children, visit the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Asthma and Community Health Branch - This branch leads CDC's fight against environmental-related respiratory illnesses (including asthma) and studies indoor and outdoor air pollution, as well as supports the National Asthma Control Program.
  • Division of Adolescent and School Health - This division of CDC oversees surveillance methods for asthma and other health concerns.
  • National Asthma Control Program - The initiative is a multi-component, mobilizing and action-oriented effort to engage diverse stakeholders who are concerned about or involved in improving asthma control. Its ultimate aim is to bring the asthma care that patients receive in line with evidence-based recommendations.

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute  - The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program has the goal is to enhance the quality of life for patients with asthma and decrease asthma-related morbidity and mortality.
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) - NIEHS plays a pivotal role in funding research on children's health. The Institute partners with EPA to support thirteen research centers devoted exclusively to children's environmental health and disease prevention. These centers focus on the important role that the environment has on a host of childhood illnesses, including asthma.
    • Centers for Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research - These NIEHS centers, located across the country, examine the effect of environmental exposures on children's health.

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
  • Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes - This office gathers a broad community of experts to develop comprehensive, integrated approaches to health and housing.

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National Organizations

EPA collaborates with these organizations, through multi-year cooperative agreements, to prevent asthma attacks, emergency room visits and other poor health outcomes by increasing the number of people, especially children and low income and minority individuals, with asthma taking actions to reduce their exposure to environmental triggers. Learn about these funded projects:

• Public Health Institute (PHI), Oakland, CA - PHI generates and promotes research, leadership, and partnerships to build capacity for strong public health programs. PHI’s Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP) project promotes comprehensive strategies for reducing asthma and asthma disparities that include clinical management and environmental protection. The RAMP project will increase the engagement of school- based health centers in the environmental management of asthma. RAMP will support two learning collaboratives—one to further identify best practices and one to conduct demonstration projects based on best practices. The RAMP project will develop a tool that highlights tips for success and will strengthen the network of partners advocating for sustainable financing for in-home asthma interventions. The project will also develop a tool to educate health plans about how to effectively provide such services to their beneficiaries with poorly controlled asthma.

EPA also works closely with these organizations, which play an important role in asthma control.

The following links are to non-federal government sites.