The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) recently released a revised report, The Burden of Asthma in Wisconsin – 2007. This report summarizes a variety of asthma data including prevalence, associated costs, disease management, emergency department visits and hospitalization rates, and deaths.

The report’s findings demonstrate that despite an increase in asthma prevalence over the last several years, Wisconsin has made progress in decreasing the burden of asthma. While the prevalence of asthma has climbed to a high of 13 percent in Wisconsin adults and children, statewide rates of hospitalizations, emergency department visits and deaths are unchanged or slightly decreased and lower than national estimates. However, given the persistence of racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality rates, asthma remains a public health priority. African Americans are hospitalized at five times the rate of whites (36.6 versus 7.1 hospitalizations per 10,000 population in 2005), and have a 3.5 times higher rate of asthma mortality than whites (41.2 versus 12.0 deaths per million population in 2000-2005).

In cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DHFS will continue to work with the Wisconsin Asthma Coalition and stakeholders statewide to create and implement strategies for reducing the burden of asthma. Efforts currently are underway to develop culturally sensitive asthma educational materials for racial and ethnic minorities. View the report. 

Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin (Alliance), in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin Injury Research Center (IRC) and Dr. Timothy E. Corden as academic partner, has been awarded a three-year grant from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Wisconsin Partnership Program. This grant will allow the partners to organize and implement the Child Death Review (CDR) Program in Wisconsin.

Key components of the grant:

• The Alliance CDR project manager will provide technical support and guidance to individual local CDR teams including meeting facilitation, training and resource materials.
• Staff from the IRC will provide technical assistance to local teams on entering data into the national CDR case reporting system.
• One-time mini grants of $5000 will be available to each CDR team to be used as seed funds. Funds can be used for meeting accommodations, refreshments and staff time devoted to case preparation for meetings. Grant requests will be managed by the Alliance and require simple criteria.

Click here for additional information on the grant objectives and implementation, or contact Karen Ordinans, Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, (414) 292-4004.

The Alliance welcomes Diane Flanagan, RDH, as our newest staff member. Flanagan joined the Alliance as the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN), oral health project manager/regional oral health coordinator. She is a dental hygienist with extensive experience in treating and advocating for CYSHCN and their families. Her experience also includes state and federal advocacy activities while serving as president of a national non-profit organization.

Flanagan will be working with four other regional oral health coordinators to develop a statewide plan to promote oral health and organize community resources to increase access to dental care for CYSHCN. This project is funded by a Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health, 4-year Targeted Oral Health Service System grant (TOHSS). For more information, contact Diane Flanagan at (414) 292-4015.

The U.S. Congress is reviewing the following legislative proposals designed to help eliminate childhood lead poisoning. The Alliance will report on further developments in future eNews issues as information becomes available:

• The Lead Poisoning Reduction Act of 2007 (H.R. 3085 and S.1811) proposes to design and fund model community programs that can be adopted by local, state and tribal governments to protect children from exposure to lead.
• LEAPP Act of 2007 (S. 2244) proposes funding for lead elimination projects.
• Lead-Free Drinking Water Act of 2007 (H.R. 2076) assures safe, lead-free drinking water.
• The Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2007 (H.R. 3397) would require public health intervention and elimination of a residential lead hazard when a child’s whole blood lead level is equal to or greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter.
• Import Safety Act of 2007 (H.R. 3100) proposes additional funding for inspecting imported toys.
• Safe Toys for Kids Act (H.R. 3477 and S.1833) and the Children's Products Safety Act of 2007 (H.R. 3499) propose to prevent the marketing of dangerous products used by children by requiring independent third-party testing and certification.
• Lead-Free Toys Act (S.1306) would classify certain children’s products containing lead to be banned hazardous substances.
• Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2007 (H.R. 3918 and S.1793) would provide a tax credit for property owners who remove lead-based paint hazards.
• Product Safety Civil Penalties Improvement Act (H.R. 2474) would increase penalties for violations under the Consumer Product Safety Act.
• Senate Bills 2038 and 2132 would prohibit interstate sales of children’s products that contain lead.
• H.R. 3743 would ban certain children’s products containing lead.
• H.R. 3542 would ban water hoses containing lead.  
• Healthy Communities Act of 2007 (S. 1078) would promote healthy communities.

Matt Crespin, RDH, BS, CDHC, oral health project manager with the Alliance was on the cover and featured in the December 2007 issue of Modern Hygienist magazine. Crespin was chosen as "one of the 1% you should know," referring to the less than one percent of males who are in the dental hygiene profession. From working in private practice in the suburbs of Milwaukee to the Alliance, Crespin discusses how he is making a difference in the world of dental public health. View full article.