Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. face unique challenges when it comes to mental illness. Obstacles for many include a lack of health insurance, less access to treatment, and stigma. In the U.S. Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native people also experience a high burden of asthma. Black people in the U.S. bear a much higher burden of food allergies than white people. The burden is often greater because of food insecurity. Living with a long-term disease like asthma, eczema, and food allergy can lead to increased stress, worry, anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness. AAFA is here to help patients and caregivers. Our online communities provide emotional support. We also have a free helpline and ask the allergist service. Find our support services at: aafa.org/help Mental health care needs to be integrated into asthma, allergy, and eczema health care. These conditions impose a large psychosocial burden including emotional, mental, financial, and social impact on patients and their families/caregivers. Mental health screening and support is needed as part of asthma and allergy management. AAFA has free resources for patients and caregivers that help reduce the stress of managing these diseases. #MentalHealthy #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #Asthma #FoodAllergies #Eczema

AAFA is chillin’ out this summer by sharing the new #heat and #health risk tool from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with #asthma may be more affected by heat. Some may be more sensitive to heat when outside or have more asthma symptoms. Check out and use these new screening tools and resources in your practice today! https://lnkd.in/gwUGzUs3 https://lnkd.in/gTfQf69M

AAFA was honored to have Lynne G. Bosma, LLMSW, C-HWC attend and speak at the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR) 2024 Summit for Advancing Equity in Food Allergy (SAEFA) conference in Chicago, IL. The summit convened experts, payors, policymakers, patients, and industry representatives, to discuss barriers and strategies for advancing health equity in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment journey of individuals who experience food allergy health disparities. We learned there are approximately 4,000 allergists in the U.S. Only about 2,000 accept Medicaid, and even fewer of those take pediatric patients! Food allergy health disparities exist across the U.S. for children and adults: ➡ As of 2021, about 20 million people have food allergies in the U.S. ➡ About 16 million U.S. Adults have food allergies. ➡ About 4 million U.S. children have food allergies. ➡ in 2021, 7.6% of Black children had food allergies, compared to 5.5% of white children. ➡ Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergic diseases. AAFA supports policies that promote equitable access to affordable, quality health care for diagnosing, treating, and managing food allergies. 

We’re excited to be at the #AANP24 conference in Nashville. We appreciate the enthusiasm to learn more about treating people with asthma and allergies. We look forward to building new connections.

AAFA commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their investigation into practices that limit choices and pose potential risks for food allergy consumers. Ensuring the accuracy of food labeling is critical for the safety and well-being of people with food allergies. FDA recently sent a warning letter to Bimbo Bakeries, whose product lines include Sara Lee, for violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Through an inspection, FDA found that Bimbo Bakeries has been labeling some of its products as containing allergens, including sesame and tree nuts, when the allergens are not actually ingredients in the products. AAFA has raised this false labeling practice and the practice of actually adding sesame to product formulations to FDA multiple times since sesame allergen labeling was required in 2021. Manufacturers claim that sesame poses unique challenges for baking. In response, AAFA recently called on FDA to provide specific guidance on how manufacturers can establish effective policies to manage sesame as an allergen. We applaud the FDA’s efforts to hold manufacturers accountable and to protect the health of the over 20 million people in the U.S. living with food allergies. AAFA looks forward to continuing collaboration with the FDA to enhance food safety and ensure that all consumers can access accurate and reliable product information. https://lnkd.in/gkSkETvg

We are headed to #AANP24 with all of our available resources for educating patients about asthma and allergic diseases! Stop by to see us at booth 1744 on 6/27-6/29! ✅ CEUs in different areas of allergic disease management ✅ Fillable asthma action plans ✅ Self-management guides for patients - asthma, food allergies ✅ Managing asthma during pregnancy and lactation ✅ Avoiding asthma triggers and environmental assessment ✅ Posters with asthma and epinephrine devices #NPsLead #Nurses #RespiratoryHealth #CommunityHealth #Asthma #Allergies #FoodAllergies #Pregancy

While it is good news that as of June 1, Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca have capped inhaler prices at $35 for people who are commercially insured or uninsured, there’s more that can and should be done to lower the cost of essential asthma medicines. AAFA’s President and CEO Kenneth Mendez explains that when the price of medicine is too high, patients ration care or discontinue use altogether. This can lead to hospital visits, trips to the emergency room, and even death. That’s why AAFA will keep fighting for policies that lead to improved access to and affordability of asthma inhalers. **Note: people should use spacers/chambers when using inhalers like those pictured in this interview. https://lnkd.in/g2Ya_JrR #Asthma #RepiratoryHealth #CommunityHealth #InhalerPricing

Sherida Miller is one of the many Black women living with asthma in the U.S. She shares her story with AAFA. In the U.S., Black people are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma compared to white people. Black people are also at risk of worse asthma outcomes. They are: 👉 2 times as likely to have a hospital stay due to asthma 👉 3 times as likely to die from asthma 👉 5 times as likely to visit the emergency department due to asthma Black women fare the worst and have the highest rates of death due to asthma. Juneteenth provides an opportunity to reflect on the health equity challenges Black people in the U.S., and Black women in particular, continue to face. This annual national celebration of the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War became a federal holiday in 2021. You can read more about Sherida’s self-advocacy and commitment to health education here: https://lnkd.in/gAWs7pQa Breathe Southern California

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that since the adoption of the FASTER Act – a law intended to reduce accidental exposure to sesame – some bakers and food manufacturers have responded by adding sesame to products that didn’t previously contain it. This appears to be a business decision that labeling a product as containing sesame is more cost-effective than adopting equipment cleaning practices that would reduce sesame exposure. In-N-Out Burger’s announcement that sesame flour is added as an ingredient to their hamburger buns in certain states is just the latest example. Sesame allergies affect more than 1.5 million Americans, half of whom are children. Before the FASTER Act, families with sesame allergies found it challenging to determine if sesame was in the products they were buying. Now, families are struggling to find products without sesame as some previously trusted restaurants and brands have engaged in the practice of intentionally adding sesame to their foods.

Boehringer Ingelheim announced a $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket costs for their asthma and COPD inhalers. The price cap will apply to people with commercial/private insurance or no insurance*. Atrovent® HFA Combivent® Respimat® Spiriva® HandiHaler® Spiriva® Respimat® 25 mcg and 5 mcg Stiolto® Respimat® Striverdi® Respimat® What patients and providers need to know: https://lnkd.in/gggexjRw *Federal law prevents people on government insurance programs (Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare) from being eligible for this price cap program. #Asthma #COPD #RepiratoryHealth #HealthCare #AsthmaInhalers