Montana

Asthma Stats

Asthma is a common illness in Montana, affecting over 75,000 individuals statewide.

20% of Montana high school students report being diagnosed with asthma in their lifetime and 11% report currently having the disease.

Patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of asthma spend over 19,000 days in Montana hospitals in 2005.

On average, 20 asthma deaths have occured annually in Montana since 1990.

20% of adults with asthma in Montana are smokers and 64% are overweight or obese.

The Asthma Control Program at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human services is committed to improve the quality of life for all Montanans with asthma. 

The Montana Asthma Control Program supports:

• Surveillance of asthma and related risk factors in Montana
• Quality improvement measures that increase the level of asthma related health care in the state
• School and workplace interventions that create asthma friendly spaces and support the unique needs of persons with asthma
• Environmental interventions that reduce asthma triggers such as tobacco smoke, mold and pests
• Self management education that empowers patients to take control of their disease
• Policy development related to asthma in Montana
• Partnerships with diverse groups of individuals and organizations to achieve program goals.

To access reports published by the Montana Asthma Control Program, click on the links below:

• The Burden of Asthma In Montana (Spring 2008)
• Asthma in Montana: Key Findings from the first report on the burden of asthma in Montana (Summer 2008)
• School Administrators Asthma Survey (Spring 2008)

To access state and national data on asthma follow these links:

• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
• Youth Risk Behavior Survey
• National Survey of Children's Health

For more information on Montana asthma data contact Katie Loveland, Asthma Control Program Manager.

The Montana Asthma Control Program has created a resource guide for schools in Montana seeking to create asthma friendly environments. Click on this link to access the document Creating Asthma Friendly School in Montana.

Montana MCA 20-5-420 allows students in Montana who have a Medication Authorization form on file with the school to carry and self administer their rescue asthma medication. The law also allows for back up medication to be kept at the school. Schools cannot deny student the right to carry their asthma medication if this form is completed. Follow this link to the Asthma and Severe Allergy Medication Authorization form.

Athletes with Asthma and Wildfires

Athletes with asthma competing for Montana Public Schools may have exacerbations during wildfire season. The Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Office of Public Instruction have approved recommendations for when to cancel outdoor sporting events due to wildfire smoke. School administrators, coaches and other staff can use this information to make informed decisions during wildfire season. For more information on air quality in Montana visit the Today's Air webpage run by the Department of Envivronmental Quality.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a national Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative. To learn more, visit their Creating Asthma Friendly Schools website.

The Montana Asthma Control Program supports healthcare providers in Montana who seek the national Asthma Educator Certification (AE-C).  The program provides support for studying for the AE-C exam through:

• A lending library of free study materials
• A mentoring program where current AE-Cs in Montan field questions about the exam
• Asthma educator certification review courses

To learn more about this services, read our Certified Asthma Educator Initiative brochure.  For more information about the lending library, mentoring, and review courses contact Katie Loveland, Asthma Control Program Manager.

The Montana Asthma Control Program is commited to helping healthcare providers in the state improve their clinical outcomes. To this end we provide:

• Free patient education materials related to asthma for healthcare providers in the state
• Free training on spirometry for healthcare providers. For more information on this training contact Anne Kessler, MD.
• Support for use of the new Expert Panel Report-3 Asthma Guidelines. A helpful summary of these new clincal guidelines is located here.
• Our program is also developing a free clinical registry, the Asthma Care Monitoring System, for clinics in the state to track their asthma patient populations. This registry will be available in in the fall of 2008.

If you have any questions related to improving clinical outcomes in your patient population, contact Katie Loveland.