Asthma Collaborative of Detroit

Mission: Empowering communities, organizations, and individuals, to reduce the burden of asthma in Detroit

MDHHS Asthma Surveillance

Asthma Initiative of Michigan, Surveillance, Data & Reports

History of Committee

In 2016, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released the Detroit: Current Status of the Asthma Burden, which reported that the asthma burden in Detroit is greater than the overall burden in the state of Michigan. In response to this report, a group of organizations from Detroit, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 organized and held the Detroit Asthma Summit (Summit).

The 2016 Summit brought together representatives from the State, city of Detroit, local community organizations, citizens, and university partners to present on the state of asthma in Detroit. It provided opportunities for education, collaboration, and identification of strategies to reduce disparities and improve asthma outcomes. The audience included public health departments, environmental organizations, community health organizations, community advocates, health care professionals, housing specialists, school staff, policy makers, and citizens.

Following the Summit, many of the participating organizations wanted to start meeting regularly to further address asthma in Detroit. As a result, the Asthma Collaborative of Detroit (ACD) was established to lead efforts to address Detroit’s high asthma burden. ACD meets bi-monthly, includes 21 Detroit or statewide multi-disciplinary organizations. ACD efforts to reduce the asthma burden in Detroit include reducing poor indoor air quality in childcare facilities, training Detroit Public Schools Community District staff, coordinate asthma activities, and gather resources to impact this high-burden community.

Learn more about asthma triggers

Learn more about outdoor air & asthma

Learn more about indoor air & asthma. Use this EPA Asthma Home Environment Checklist to help you find and fix triggers in your home.
two children playing with trucks

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)

EGLE’s air monitoring projects in Detroit:

Additional Environmental Resources

Learn more about tobacco, e-cigarettes, cessation and available resources

Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP)

Led by the Green Door Initiative, the AQMP was developed as a guide for childcare facilities in the city of Detroit to improve air quality and reduce asthma triggers. The AQMP includes best practices, approaches, and policies for cleaning methods, product use, HVAC maintenance, and pest management that are asthma-friendly and improve indoor air quality, as well as outdoor air quality with its vehicle idling strategies.

For more information on AQMP please visit The Green Door Initiative.

The Little Lungs Asthma-Friendly Child Care Training

Little Lungs is an asthma education program for license-exempt child care providers. The training includes basic information about asthma (e.g. how lungs work, medications and triggers – things that start asthma symptoms) as well as detailed information that is specific to the child care setting (e.g. dispensing medications, cleaning, communicating with parents). It features an assessment to identify environmental triggers to help providers keep children with asthma in their care healthier.

For more information on Little Lungs, please contact Angela Piccarilli at apiccirilli@khcmi.org.

Learn more about schools & asthma

 

Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America’s Advocacy Information
Finding Your Elected Officials
MI Air MI Health Advocacy Tips for Meeting Your Legislator (pdf)