IHS Strategic Initiative – Asthma Control in Tribal Communities

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Indian and Alaska Native people suffer a higher prevalence of asthma than any other specific racial or ethnic group in the United States. Controlling asthma is essential to reducing the burden of asthma-related illness and death among American Indian and Alaska Native people. The IHS has developed the Strategic Initiative - Asthma Control in Tribal communities (ACT).

As part of this initiative, IHS is supporting federal, tribal, and urban Indian organization programs as they:

• ACT to increase asthma awareness;
• ACT to recognize and diagnose asthma;
• ACT to support asthma control; and
• ACT to improve asthma-related outcomes.

The IHS ACT Ambassador pilot program has been established to promote the work of clinical, public health, and environmental health professionals with asthma-related expertise operating at federal, tribal, and urban facilities and in tribal communities.

The IHS ACT webpage includes useful information such as a summary of the ACT Initiative, an easy one-touch Resource Toolbox with helpful public health, provider, and patient/community resources, information about the ACT Ambassador pilot program and Pilot Community Development Project, as well as best practices from IHS sites.

LINKS:

Blog: IHS Announces Strategic Initiative: Asthma Control in Tribal Communities

IHS ACT webpage