What is the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma?

The Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (LBACA), started in 1999, is a partnership to improve the lives of children with asthma in the Long Beach community. LBACA was one of 7 sites in the US and Puerto Rico awarded grants under the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation’s Allies Against Asthma program and is, one of 12 sites in California awarded grants under The California Endowment’s Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) Program, and also recently received funding from the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s British Petroleum Settlement fund to expand its programming into San Pedro, Wilmington and Carson.

What are the coalition’s current activities?
LBACA’s activities include a community health worker home visiting program, an asthma resource center, Physician Asthma Care Education training to improve physician asthma management skills and training medical assistants to provide asthma education to patients at provider sites. LBACA is also teaming up with schools, after-school programs, parks and recreational centers to develop asthma-friendly environments and policies; and mobilizing the community to respond to air quality issues, both indoors and outdoors.

What are the coalition’s long-term objectives?
To change the profile of childhood asthma in the most affected areas of the cities of Long Beach, Carson, Wilmington and San Pedro through improved healthcare delivery and quality, outreach, education, support systems, improved living environments and changes in policy at all levels.

To improve clinical outcomes including reduction in preventable hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and school absenteeism due to asthma, and enhanced quality of life measures.

How to join the coalition and its efforts?

The LBACA coalition meets bi-monthly in various locations throughout the City of Long Beach and is open to any community member, organization, clinic, health promoter or policy maker as long as they abide by the coalition by-laws and protect the coalition’s vision and overarching principles.

To find out information about our next coalition meeting, click here!