Support Asthma Preventative Services in the California Budget

Nearly one in seven California residents has been diagnosed with asthma. Environmental racism, low-quality housing and other structural issues mean that low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to have asthma and end up in the ER as a result. Nearly two million Medi-Cal beneficiaries have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives. In 2016, almost 90% of all pediatric asthma emergency department visits in California were by children covered by Medi-Cal.

It’s not complicated or expensive to keep people with asthma out of the hospital; we know what works. Right now, the California Budget Conference Committee is considering a modest budget proposal (championed by Senator Melissa Hurtado and cosponsored by PHI’s Regional Asthma Management and Prevention program) that would help families manage asthma right in their homes: reducing environmental triggers and controlling their symptoms with the help of trusted community providers like community health workers.

We need your help today. Can you contact the Conference Committee and tell them to support funding for asthma preventive services in the final budget? We especially need your phone calls if these legislators are in your district.

• Senator Holly J. Mitchell (Committee Chair), SD 30: (916) 651-4030
  Send a tweet: Expanding access to #asthma education & home environmental trigger remediation for Medi-Cal beneficiaries will save $$ & improve health. @hollyjmitchell, please help CA #BreatheEasier by supporting @Senator_Hurtado’s asthma preventative services in the budget!
• Assembly Member Philip Ting (Committee Vice-Chair), AD19: (916) 319-2019
  Send a tweet: Expanding access to #asthma education & home environmental trigger remediation for Medi-Cal beneficiaries will save $$ & improve health. @PhilTing, please help CA #BreatheEasier by supporting @Senator_Hurtado’s asthma preventative services in the budget!