SR0481enr 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

09500SR0481 Enrolled LRB095 14078 KBJ 39930 r

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 481

WHEREAS, An estimated 1,044,936 people in Illinois had been diagnosed with asthma during their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 680,417 people in Illinois were diagnosed with asthma in 2003; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 21,649 hospitalizations in this State were due to asthma or 17 per 10,000 people in 2003; and

WHEREAS, In this State, an estimated $237,654,449 were direct charges for asthma hospitalizations in 2003; and

WHEREAS, In Cook County, 317,906 adults and 121,610 children have been diagnosed with asthma; and

WHEREAS, More than half of all children in Chicago with asthma have had a severe asthma attack in the past year and nearly one-third had episodes in which they thought their lives were in danger; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 40% of people visiting selected Chicago Emergency Departments for asthma attacks had 3 or more other Emergency Department visits in the previous 12 months; and

WHEREAS, Asthma is the number one cause of school absenteeism for children in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, The burden of asthma falls disproportionately on the African-American and Latino populations, and especially on children of ethnic minorities; and

WHEREAS, The asthma death rate for African-Americans in this State is 4 times the national average; and

WHEREAS, 15.1% of African-American persons in Illinois had asthma in 2000; and

WHEREAS, 12.3% of Latino persons in Illinois had asthma in 2000; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, asthma accounted for 20,708 asthma hospitalizations or 16.5 per 10,000 people and 247 deaths or 2 per 100,000 people in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Asthma accounts for one-quarter of all emergency room visits in the U.S. each year; and

WHEREAS, Adults 18 years of age and over who were currently employed missed 10.1 million work days due to asthma in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 4 million children missed a cumulative total of 12.8 million school days due to asthma in 2003; and

WHEREAS, The annual cost of asthma is estimated to be nearly $18 billion; and

WHEREAS, A clean environment and appropriate asthma care are critical to the quality of life of our citizens with asthma; and

WHEREAS, Access to care for ethnic minorities is often hampered by socioeconomic disparities, shortages of primary care physicians in minority communities, language and literacy barriers, and cultural beliefs about the role and usefulness of medicine; and

WHEREAS, As much as 40% of the risk of asthma in minority children is attributable to exposure to residential allergens that could be reduced, if not eliminated; and

WHEREAS, If left untreated or poorly controlled, asthma can cause irreversible damage to the lungs; and

WHEREAS, 11 Americans die from asthma each day, which is more than 4,000 each year; and

WHEREAS, Puerto Ricans have the highest asthma mortality rate of any racial or ethnic subgroup; and

WHEREAS, African-Americans are 3 times more likely than Caucasians to die from asthma; and

WHEREAS, The death rate for children under 19 years old due to asthma has increased by nearly 80% since 1980; and

WHEREAS, Many asthma deaths are avoidable with proper treatment and care; and

WHEREAS, The State bears a responsibility in matters of public health and the well-being of Illinois citizens and that includes the quality of life for our citizens with asthma and those citizens who are at risk for asthma; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Asthma Partnership Strategic Plan identifies goals for combating the asthma epidemic and recommends advocating for access to treatment and education for all persons with asthma, using data to identify and evaluate asthma interventions and assess the impact of asthma outcomes; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Asthma Partnership Strategic Plan recommends facilitating the provision of asthma education for people with asthma and those involved in the care of people with asthma, promoting asthma awareness, education, and screening programs in communities; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Asthma Partnership Strategic Plan recommends identifying effective methods of accommodation in the workplace for employees with asthma that will help prevent them from work-related exacerbations, increasing awareness among administrative, management, and human resource personnel concerning occupational asthma, including risk factors, impact, prevention strategies, and management; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Asthma Partnership Strategic Plan recommends developing a statewide communication network to effectively advocate for the positions of the local asthma coalitions, encouraging childcare providers and schools to obtain an appropriate written asthma action plan for every child with asthma; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Asthma Partnership Strategic Plan recommends identifying asthma education programs for the childcare, school, and college communities and supporting the development of indoor air quality and environmental improvements in childcare and school communities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that that we urge the Illinois Department of Public Health to implement the recommendations within the Illinois Asthma Partnership Strategic Plan and continue to work in the best interests of the public health of our citizens with asthma, especially those minority populations who are at a greater risk for asthma.