Posted: | September 10, 2018 03:30 PM |
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From: | Representative Brian Kirkland |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Asthma in the African American Community |
Compared to the general population, African-Americans are not only more likely to have asthma, they are more likely to have more severe symptoms, such as wheezing and shortness of breath, coughing and tightness in the chest. African-American children, in particular, suffer from asthma at nearly twice the rate of other children. In addition, African-Americans are less likely to see an asthma specialist, have access to adequate follow-up or routine health care to manage the disease, or receive proper medication to control the symptoms of asthma. As a result of this and higher exposure to environmental triggers, African-Americans in general are three times more likely to die from asthma than other races and ethnicities. For these reasons and more, I intend to introduce a resolution to bring greater awareness to this issue within the African-American communities across our Commonwealth. There is no cure for asthma, but with the proper care its symptoms can be managed and lives can be saved. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important resolution. |
Introduced as HR1101