Page 8 - Healthy Indiana
P. 8
Executive The policy actions suggest laws and restrictions on
smoking along with the promotion of smoke-free
programs in businesses and schools. Guidelines for
Summary homecare and education of asthma triggers were
also suggested to improve living conditions for
Hoosiers. Outdoor air policies were recommended
on federal and local levels.
Education tactics focus on promoting programs
The five-year plan was developed to help Hoosiers that teach citizens about asthma triggers that they
across the state manage their asthma better. It is can recognize them.
directed at every profession, as improvements can
be made in the medical community, public school Finally, InJAC will work to increase awareness of
system, and workplace to improve the lives of air quality by schools and other public places. The
those with asthma. The three focus areas identified authors propose several plans to decrease smoking
– reduce environmental triggers, enhance the and e-cigarette usage in the state via this route.
quality of care, and strengthen asthma coalition Asthma coalitions will also work to create infor-
infrastructure – are broken down into objectives with mational pamphlets to distribute to patients and
specific strategies that can be used to remedy the caregivers so they will have easy access to critical
obstacle in that area. information.
Information was gathered from state and national The second focus area covers quality of care. Asth-
resources such as the BRFSS, asthma fact sheets, ma is a chronic illness, so it is essential that it is
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and others. well managed at all points of life to prevent deadly
The authors also viewed plans from other states, as asthma attacks. If Indiana can improve its ability
well as previous Indiana plans, to determine which to respond to asthma, hospitalization and ER ad-
practices produced the best results. mittance rates will drop, and medical costs will be
reduced.
The first area focuses on the environment that
Hoosiers interact with on a daily basis. There are a The strategies for this section are also split into
variety of health factors identified, such as smoking policy, education, and awareness.
and the quality of the workplace,
and several educational InJAC looked at other states to find policies that
opportunities are discussed have been proven to work for this section especial-
as well. These aspects ly. Various systematic adjustments are suggested
are addressed because for healthcare offices, along with the expansion of
clean environments can the Certified Asthma Educator program. Schools
drastically reduce the are called upon to place a higher priority on ad-
triggers asthmatics dressing asthma in the classroom and on the sports
encounter. field.
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