Breathe DC testifies about asthma to DC Council
Breathe DC chief executive officer Rolando Andrewn testified on May 1, 2014 before the DC Council Committee on Health, urging the District to invest in a comprehensive campaign to address the asthma epidemic.
We join our allies in the DC Tobacco Free Coalition and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending that the District should allocate at least $10.7 million to create a Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Dedicated Fund. The funds would support a comprehensive approach including, cessation, prevention, media, and policy.
Asserting that asthma continues to be a major health problem in the District, Mr. Andrewn cited staggering local statistics: asthma affects over 18,000 children and 52,000 adults in DC; asthma is the leading cause of emergency room visits for children, at a rate of 42%; and, the total cost of asthma to the District, including productivity losses due to morbidity, mortality, and incremental number of days lost from work and school, is estimated to be more than $60 million.