The Long Beach Alliance for Children With Asthma

1. The Long Beach Alliance for Children With Asthma A partnership to improve the lives of children with asthma in our community Elisa Nicholas, MD, MSPH2651 Elm Ave Suite 100Long Beach, CA 90806562-427-4249

2. LBACA • Started: November 1999 • Target population: 90813 and Long Beach as a whole • Coalition Partners: community members, providers, two major hospitals, community clinics, LB Health Dept., school district, child care and after-school providers, City of Long Beach, community based organizations, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, legislators, legal resources, environmental justice groups, ALALAC, apartment association

3. Long Beach, CA • Census 2000: • 45.2% Caucasian • 35.8% Hispanic/Latino • 14.9% African American • 12% Asian • 27,000 uninsured children and 80,000 uninsured adults, majority from 90813 • Surrounded by freeways; Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles; oil refineries; old housing stock; high density, particularly in 90813

4. Access to many individuals and organizations not normally associated with asthma activities - creating “new” asthma stakeholders (CORAL, Apartment Association, Parks and Rec, Legal Aid, School District, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Community Partners Council) Networking across broad spectrum of asthma stakeholders (school nurses, specialists, general practitioners, medical assistants, pharmacists, ALA) Raising Awareness Strengths of the coalition approach:

5. Easier to gain media attention with so many groups represented Layering of resources, building on one another’s successes and programs Sending consistent messages from a variety of sources Collaboration with groups who share the same media, greater potential for media attention and funding opportunities Raising Awareness Strengths of the coalition approach:

6. Increased awareness equals high community expectations: balancing community’s expectations with those of staff, funders, and requirements of the coalition process Joint media campaign: targeting diverse and widely dispersed populations; agreeing on consistent messages Timing of implementation: expectations vs. reality Raising Awareness Challenges of the coalition approach:

7. Realistic timelines communicated to all coalition members on regular basis Determine tasks/activities that can be accomplished early on to maintain enthusiasm and engagement If something is not achievable (i.e. LAC joint media campaign), re-strategize (focus on local community) Raising Awareness Solutions:

8. Access to many individuals, organizations, asthma stakeholders and “new” asthma stakeholders Build on the success of partner programs (JCPP) Ability to offer variety of activities in collaboration with partner organizations during planning phases Bringing diverse groups to the table: community members’ access to decision-makers and community’s ability to keep coalition focused on daily challenges of living with asthma Community Involvement Strengths of coalition approach:

9. Keeping coalition members, professional and community, engaged throughout the coalition process; balance needs for action vs. process Being ready to utilize coalition members to sustain engagement and implement activities Bridging a variety of levels of understanding, experience and expectations for coalition Building trust/engaging groups who feel threatened by coalition Successfully engaging hard-to-reach populations and groups Community Involvement Challenges of coalition approach:

10. Dedicated staff to liaison with and nurture community Meeting time and places convenient to all groups Child care, food and transportation for meetings Educational opportunities to maintain interest Use of facilitator to build trust and understanding Creating employment opportunities Community Involvement Solutions