Respiratory Illness
Nationally , asthma , bronchiolitis , and other respiratory illnesses are a leading cause of children ’ s hospitalizations and missed school and work days with an estimated cost of $ 56 billion annually . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 9.3 % of children in the United States under the age of 18 had a diagnosis of asthma in 2012 . Similarly , the 2013 Colorado Child Health Survey demonstrated that nearly 1 in 10 children has a current diagnosis of asthma . In 2015 , asthma and bronchiolitis were two of the most common causes of emergency department visits at Children ’ s Hospital Colorado ( CHCO ), with 1351 admissions related to bronchiolitis and 651 admissions related to asthma at our facilities .
Poorly controlled asthma disrupts sleep , can negatively impact a child ’ s ability to learn and perform at school and is a common cause of children missing school , with 10.5 million days lost annually nationwide . In Denver , Adams and Arapahoe Counties , asthma related hospital discharge and emergency department rates for children ages 5-14 are higher than the state average . Low-income and minority families are disproportionately burdened by the morbidity and cost associated with asthma . Black and Latino children are less likely to receive routine care for asthma and more likely to visit the emergency room and be hospitalized than white children . While some measures of health and health care quality have improved over the past decade , these disparities in the burden of asthma have persisted or worsened .
The risk and severity of asthma and other respiratory illnesses is greatly affected by environmental exposures . Factors such as poverty , poor housing conditions , and increased exposure to environmental triggers are associated with increased asthma prevalence , worse control , and increased hospital emergency room visit and admissions . Barriers to asthma control may or may not be related to direct healthcare but may lie in areas like adherence to medications , exposure to tobacco and / or marijuana smoke or living in multi-unit housing . Many of these barriers significantly impact disease management , further complicating care for patients and providers . Due to the high prevalence of respiratory illnesses in childhood , especially asthma , their burden on the healthcare system , and the correlation between these illnesses and social determinants of health , we have prioritized respiratory illnesses .
Children ’ s Hospital Colorado will focus on three major areas of prevention and health promotion to address this health priority area :
Goal 1 : Increase access to routine care for respiratory illnesses Goal 2 : Strengthen support network in clinical and community settings Goal 3 : Decrease health impact of environmental exposure to air particulate matter
Colorado vs
National
Respiratory Illnesses
9 %
Kids with asthma
9 %
Community Health Action Plan 53