Mission Statement
"To mobilize individuals, organizations, and communities throughout the state to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and management of asthma in order to decrease its individual and societal burdens."


The Initiative
Asthma is a chronic condition affecting over 600,000 people in Washington State. Disease and death rates are on the rise. At particular risk are children, minorities, the elderly, women, and those living in poverty. Hospitalization rates for young children continue to escalate. The increasing societal burdens include school absenteeism, missed work, and financial loss to families and businesses. Asthma is manageable and new developments in medicine have improved the ability of patients and health care providers to work together to improve the quality and safety of those suffering from asthma. The Washington Asthma initiative (WAI) is a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations concerned about asthma prevention, diagnosis, and management. Action Committees were formed to address core activities around data collection, community awareness, policy development, and professional education.

Over 100 participants from fifty-two organizations representing every sector of the public health community came together to develop a process, convene a steering committee, identify topic areas of concern and appoint task forces.

The Washington Asthma Initiative is the key convener of the Washington State Asthma Plan. The Washington State Asthma Plan is a statewide effort to develop a comprehensive 10-year strategy to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and management of asthma and decreasing its individual and societal burdens.