The Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc., (MCAN), is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization established to address the complex and growing problem of pediatric asthma.
MCAN is funded by the Merck Company Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck & Co., Inc. The mission of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. is to support and advance evidence-based programs that improve the quality of life for children with asthma and their families and to reduce through dissemination of effective interventions the burden of the disease on them and society.
The mission of MCAN is anchored by these facts: 1) asthma is manageable when children and their families have access to and utilize quality healthcare services; and 2) there are evidence-based interventions that have proven effective in managing asthma symptoms as well as facilitating access to and utilization of the health care system.
We have past the two-year anniversary of the launch of the MCAN Program Sites. Now hundreds of children with asthma along with hundreds more family members and providers are participating in a variety of evidence-based interventions being implemented by our grantees and their partners. It's a remarkable achievement especially when you consider that this is new territory. There is no roadmap for systematic adoption of interventions proven effective and no guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of integrating these interventions into existing health care systems and communities. MCAN Program Sites are helping to construct the roadmap by pioneering comprehensive community-based strategies to do just that for childhood asthma.
It is difficult and complex work. We are in the middle of this four-year translational research initiative and I salute and thank our talented MCAN "pioneers" for their dedication, outstanding work and progress toward the task at hand!
-- Floyd Malveaux
45 Families Graduate From MCAN Program in NYC, WIN for Asthma
NEW YORK (May 13, 2008) - After completing a yearlong asthma education program, 45 families are graduating from the MCAN WIN for Asthma program with the tools they need to control their child’s asthma, preventing acute episodes that can lead to emergency room visits and missed school days. WIN for Asthma reports that among the first group of graduates, hospitalizations were reduced by 85 percent, emergency room visits by 66 percent, and the number of missed school days was lowered by 42 percent.
The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care and MCAN present"Childhood Asthma: Guidelines and Evidence-Based Interventions"
The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care offers a variety of technical assistance and training resources to school-linked and school-based health center (SBHC) professionals, SBHC sponsoring organizations and state associations. MCAN Executive Director, Dr. Floyd Malveaux presented information on the new asthma guidelines and managing asthma in children during an interactive web conference to this group.
Air Pollution Affects Respiratory Health in Children with Asthma, April 2008
A new study reports that inner-city children with asthma may be particularly vulnerable to air pollution at levels below current air quality standards. The study, available online, analyzes the short-term effects of outdoor pollution levels on asthma symptoms and lung function in children. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Transitioning from CFC to HFA asthma metered dose inhalers (MDI) in 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has mandated that manufacturers of MDIs stop using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of 2008, because of their affect on the ozone layer. The CFCs are being replaced by hydrofluoroalkane (HFA), in an effort to protect our environment.
More information for patients, consumers and physicians is available from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology:
MCAN is funded by the Merck Company Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck & Co., Inc. The mission of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. is to support and advance evidence-based programs that improve the quality of life for children with asthma and their families and to reduce through dissemination of effective interventions the burden of the disease on them and society.
The mission of MCAN is anchored by these facts: 1) asthma is manageable when children and their families have access to and utilize quality healthcare services; and 2) there are evidence-based interventions that have proven effective in managing asthma symptoms as well as facilitating access to and utilization of the health care system. 
