Monthly Newsletter from the Arizona Asthma Coalition

Advocacy Alert

Arizona Asthma Coalition’s public policy agenda supports two key issues:

Access to health care, so people with asthma have a regular source of preventive and chronic disease care
Clean indoor and outdoor air

Based on these priorities, we are following several bills under consideration in the current Arizona Legislative Session:

Access to Care:

HB2111 appropriation; healthy families program

Appropriates $10 million from the state General Fund in FY 2023 for the Healthy Families Program, which protects children under 5 years of age, supports child wellness and proper development. AAC SUPPORTS this bill.

Tobacco Control - there are two competing bills making their way through committees:

House Bill 2125 electronic smoking devices; retail licensing

This is the ‘good’ tobacco control bill. Has a host of evidence-based interventions including retail licensing with proper enforcement. AAC SUPPORTS this bill along with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Arizona Public Health Association

SB1245 tobacco; vapor; alternative nicotine; regulation

This bill regulates tobacco products but in a bad way that isn’t evidence-based. It preempts local jurisdictions from doing more than state law. Includes a tobacco license though, with weak enforcement. AAC OPPOSES this bill along with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Arizona Public Health Association

Improved Air Quality:

HB2226 fireworks use, limitations, prohibition

Limits fireworks use to before 11 pm except for a few holidays when the deadline is 1 am. This is important because late night fireworks during cold weather, especially over Christmas and New Year’s Eve, produce high amounts of fine particulates, PM 2.5, that exceed the EPA health guidelines and exacerbate asthma and heart disease symptoms. AAC SUPPORTS.

SB1150 electric vehicles; pilot program; appropriation

Appropriates $500K from the General Fund to the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) for the Electric Vehicle-Ready Homes Pilot Program. AAC SUPPORTS zero emissions vehicles to improve air quality. AAC SUPPORTS.

SB1151- charging station; pilot program; appropriation

Appropriates $500K from the General Fund to ADOA to establish the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Pilot Program. AAC SUPPORTS.

SB1152- zero emission vehicles; plans

Requires AZ Dept. of Transportation to work in coordination with AZ Dept. of Administration and AZ Dept. of Environmental Quality to develop a Zero Emission Vehicle Plan. AAC SUPPORTS.

If you want to share your opinion on any of these bills with your legislators, here’ s how to find your House or Senate Members: https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/

[WEBINAR] Managing Student Asthma in School During COVID-19

Recording Now Available

The Arizona Department of Education in partnership with the University of Arizona Pediatric Pulmonary Center and the Arizona Asthma Coalition hosted a webinar on February 2nd for School Nurses and School Health Office Staff. View the recording of the webinar here.

You can also download the presentation slides here.

Following your viewing of the webinar, please complete the webinar evaluation here. Your feedback is important to help us plan future professional development offerings.

Asthma, Eosinophils Linked With Nasal Polyposis Recurrence

Repost from American Journal of Managed Care

The recurrence rate at 10 years for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is high, but intranasal steroid therapy is the main treatment to prevent relapse, according to findings published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology.

Although the etiology of CRSwNP remains largely unclear, researchers note that there are several predisposing factors for the disease, including asthma, allergy, and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD).

Read more

Mitochondria Signaling Pathways in Allergic Asthma

Repost from Journal of Investigative Medicine

Mitochondria, as the powerhouse organelle of cells, are greatly involved in regulating cell signaling pathways, including those related to the innate and acquired immune systems, cellular differentiation, growth, death, apoptosis, and autophagy as well as hypoxic stress responses in various diseases. Asthma is a chronic complicated airway disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilic inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, and remodeling of airway. The asthma mortality and morbidity rates have increased worldwide, so understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying asthma progression is necessary for new anti-asthma drug development. The lung is an oxygen-rich organ, and mitochondria, by sensing and processing O2, contribute to the generation of ROS and activation of pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. Asthma pathophysiology has been tightly associated with mitochondrial dysfunction leading to reduced ATP synthase activity, increased oxidative stress, apoptosis induction, and abnormal calcium homeostasis. Defects of the mitochondrial play an essential role in the pro-remodeling mechanisms of lung fibrosis and airway cells’ apoptosis. Identification of mitochondrial therapeutic targets can help repair mitochondrial biogenesis and dysfunction and reverse related pathological changes and lung structural remodeling in asthma. Therefore, we here overviewed the relationship between mitochondrial signaling pathways and asthma pathogenic mechanisms.

Read more

Follow Our Facebook Page

Arizona Asthma Coalition is now on Facebook! Head over to Facebook and like AAC to keep up to date on asthma, allergy and organizational updates in between our monthly newsletters.

Join the Arizona Asthma Coalition

As a nonprofit partnership since 1996, AAC has worked together with concerned stakeholders including public health, environmental quality, managed care, education, individual physicians and nurses, hospitals, foundations, families and other colleagues. Become a member of the Arizona Asthma Coalition or renew your membership and help us continue this important work.

Join or renew here

Support AAC While You Shop!

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Arizona Asthma Coalition

azasthma.org | 480-289-5761

7729 E Greenway Rd, Suite 300, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
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