Res 0162-2014

By Council Members Eugene, Cabrera, Gibson, Mendez and Rose Whereas, According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asthma is a disease that affects the lungs and may cause wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and breathlessness; and Whereas, According to the American Lung Association, approximately 17 million Americans have asthma, including over 8.5 million children; and Whereas, Each year, an estimated 1.81 million people with asthma require treatment in the emergency department with approximately 500,000 hospitalizations; and Whereas, Children younger than 18 years of age account for almost half of the emergency department visits and more than a third of the hospitalizations due to asthma exacerbations; and Whereas, Asthma is the leading chronic illness among children and accounts for 10.5 million lost school days annually in this country; and Whereas, This disease disproportionately affects minorities, low-income populations and children living in inner cities; and Whereas, Asthma can be controlled by adhering to a medical management plan and by avoiding contact with certain environmental triggers, including dust, mold, smoke, insects, and other chemicals; and Whereas, According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), approximately one million New Yorkers have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lifetime; and Whereas, DOHMH recommends that patients and providers partner to create an asthma action plan and promote self-management, including education and the joint development of treatment goals; and Whereas, DOHMH administers multiple programs to combat asthma including Open Airways For Schools, an educational curriculum for children diagnosed with asthma to help them control their own asthma more effectively resulting in reduced absences and hospital visits; and Whereas, Due to the impact of asthma throughout the City and the country, many advocacy groups both nationally and internationally have emerged to reduce the negative impact of this disease; and Whereas, The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) began in 1993, in collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the United States National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, to partner with health care officials and professionals throughout the world to reduce asthma prevalence, morbidity and mortality; and Whereas, Notably, GINA commemorates World Asthma Day, a day to raise awareness and advocate for ways in which asthma can be better treated and managed; and Whereas, The year 2014 marks the 16th year anniversary for World Asthma Day and this year's theme is "You Can Control Your Asthma"; and Whereas, Given the prevalence and impact of asthma, specifically on children, New York City should increase all public and private efforts to expand outreach and education to ensure that more individuals have an asthma management plan to help reduce the factors that trigger or contribute to asthma; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York declares the first Tuesday in May as World Asthma Day in New York City. CP Res 95/2010 LS 997/2014