On January 28, 1999, President Clinton announced a $68 million initiative to attack childhood asthma. Most of the money ($50 million) would be used for competitive state grants to identify and treat poor children who have asthma and are served by Medicaid. The national strategy outlined by the White House includes new efforts to:

• Implement school-based programs that teach children how to effectively manage their asthma;
• Invest in research to determine environmental causes of asthma and to develop new strategies to reduce children’s exposure to asthma triggers;
• Provide funds to states and providers to help them implement effective disease management strategies that will insure we lower hospitalizations, emergency room visits and deaths from asthma; and
• Conduct a new public information campaign to reduce exposure to asthma triggers and dust mites.

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Last Modified: March 14, 2001