HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius Highlights Philadelphia MCAN Project as Model for Managing Childhood Asthma and Reducing H1N1 Risk

PHILADELPHIA, PA., September 8, 2009 – Nearly a dozen 7th graders with asthma were welcomed along with other classmates back to school today by a special guest who had a message for them about staying healthy - Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Secretary Sebelius met with students and their parents at Thurgood Marshall Elementary, one of 16 schools in Philadelphia that partners with the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN) to help students better manage their asthma.

During the meeting, Secretary Sebelius highlighted the work of the Philadelphia MCAN project as a model for inner-city childhood asthma management. Launched in 2005, the Philadelphia MCAN project has improved asthma outcomes for children and reduced school absenteeism by using a community-based approach that integrates families, community agencies, schools and health care providers to implement scientifically proven asthma interventions.

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Pediatricians Put Proven Treatment Strategies To Work In Battle Against Asthma, Top Chronic Disease For Children

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 19, 2009 – With chronic diseases on the rise in children, pediatricians are looking for solutions to improve care and outcomes for these often complex illnesses. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), with a grant from the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), today announced a new initiative that will allow pediatricians across the country to pilot a series of quality improvement programs to effectively address the top chronic disease affecting kids – childhood asthma.

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Report Uncovers New and Missed Opportunities To Improve The Management of Asthma, Most Common Chronic Disease Among U.S. Children

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 3, 2009 – Many parents of the 9.6 million children who have been diagnosed with asthma in the United States may be surprised to learn that their child’s asthma is not being managed in ways that meet standard medical guidelines developed more than fifteen years ago and updated in 2007.

"The State of Childhood Asthma,” a supplement to the March 2009 issue of Pediatrics, featuring articles from a cross-disciplinary field of experts in children’s health, asthma and public policy, found that two out of three children with moderate or severe asthma did not receive adequate or recommended treatment.

Pediatrics supplement Press Release

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