The
prevalence of asthma in the United States has increased over the
past two decades, and data suggest trends in New Jersey have followed
the same pattern.The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) has funded the
New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to develop
asthma control plans that include disease tracking, intervention,
and occupational components.
The
first step occurred in the fall of 2000, when DOH actively supported
the American Lung Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Thoracic
Society in the founding of the Pediatric/Adult Asthma Coalition of
New Jersey (PACNJ) to act as
a statewide clearinghouse for pediatric asthma programs and services.
CDC
funding under the grant Addressing Asthma from a Public Health
Perspective also provided for the publication of Asthma in New Jersey update 2006, an inaugural comprehensive report describing the effects of
asthma on the health of New Jersey residents. The report contains
an introductory section on asthma and proceeds to highlight the results
of asthma surveillance efforts within the state. Annual updates
of the charts, tables, and executive summary will be a continued
function of asthma surveillance efforts as New Jersey seeks to achieve
both the Health New Jersey 2010 and
the national Healthy People
2010 goals of reduced asthma hospitalizations and reduced
deaths.
In recognizing
the need to respond to the burden that asthma places upon the state,
DOH has partnered with other departments within the state to create
an Interdepartmental Asthma Plan to serve as a coordinated statewide
planning guide. New Jersey Asthma Stategic Plan 2008-2013.
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