2001CRE706 INTRODUCTION OF THE ASTHMA ACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH ASTHMA AWARENESS DAY
robop...@us.govnews.org
[Congressional Record: May 2, 2001 (Extensions)]
[Page E706]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr02my01-36]
INTRODUCTION OF THE ASTHMA ACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH ASTHMA AWARENESS DAY
______
HON. NITA M. LOWEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 2, 2001
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to introduce this legislation
on the day of the fourth annual Capitol Hill Asthma Awareness Day, and
I particularly want to recognize Nancy Sander and the other hard-
working members of the Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of
Asthmatics, whose dedication to fighting asthma is limitless.
Last year, I visited a school in my district in Queens and met an
extraordinary young person named Paige Eastwood. At 11 years old, Paige
struggles daily to manage her asthma. Yet, as we all know, Paige is not
alone. Approximately 15 to 17 million Americans have asthma, over 5
million of whom, like Paige, are children. The burden of asthma on our
nation is nothing short of a crisis.
Though many Americans may think of asthma as merely an inconvenience
or impediment, it is a serious condition that should not be
underestimated. In New York, for example, asthma is the single largest
cause of absenteeism in schools, and it accounts for 10 million missed
school days annually across the nation. Each year, asthma results in
more than 450,000 hospitalizations, in fact while hospitalization rates
for other diseases are diminishing, they are climbing for asthma.
Asthma also kills with unexpected swiftness. Often, the time from first
symptom to final breath can be as little as 30 minutes. And this is
happening to children in increasing numbers--since 1980, death rates
for children due to asthma have climbed 133 percent.
There is no cure for asthma, and for reasons that we don't fully
understand, asthma rates have risen dramatically over the last 20
years. That's why we must give researchers the tools they need to study
this debilitating condition. We must give public health officials and
community organizations the resources they need to spread the word
about how it can be prevented and controlled. And with an epidemic like
this, we must also engage schools in helping children with asthma more
effectively manage their condition. Our schools not only need support
to train teachers and students in how to effectively respond to asthma,
but they also desperately need funding to purchase medical equipment
and improve indoor air quality.
That's why I reintroduced a bipartisan, comprehensive bill to address
the asthma epidemic in our country. My bill will encourage states to
establish pediatric asthma action plans, create a National Asthma
Coordinating Committee to improve our nationwide response, and bolster
public awareness and education efforts through the CDC. It will also
provide $4 million per year directly to low-income schools hardest hit
by asthma to implement asthma programs.
Asthma is an indiscriminate disease that strikes Americans of all
ages, races, and places. And Congress can and should do more to
alleviate the burden of asthma. So today, as we begin Asthma Awareness
Month, I urge my colleagues in Congress to join me in helping our
country cope with this serious condition. When children are well enough
to go to school, when parents learn how to ward off attacks, when
scientists better understand asthma's causes, we can all breathe
easier.
____________________