The West Virginia Asthma Coalition (WVAC) is a group of over 80 individuals and organizations working together to reduce the burden of asthma-related illnesses in the state through a comprehensive public health approach. WVAC Membership is FREE (see form below) and open to the public to attend all meetings, webinars, events and subcommittee conference calls. The WVAC encourages community support and membership from parents, family members, and from individuals with asthma in West Virginia.

As a member of the WVAC, you will be included to receive and send emails through the WVAEPP/WVAC Listserv, a forum for members to ask questions and provide information on asthma topics, data, community/state and national asthma activities,  details on upcoming WVAC meetings, webinars, conference calls, and asthma awareness activities; also, as a member, you will have access to others who share the same goal for West Virginians with asthma – to improve their quality of life by improving access to quality health care, advocating for policy and legislative changes, providing asthma education to medical professionals and improved self-management of asthma to individuals with asthma and families based on the current national guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with asthma, and raising awareness of the prevalence of this controllable lung disease. 

 

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The WVAC was formed by the West Virginia Asthma Education and Prevention Program (WVAEPP) and is currently facilitated by a partnership between WVAEPP and the American Lung Association in West Virginia (ALAWV). WVAEPP is solely funded by a cooperative grant agreement  from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which provides funding directly for WVAC meetings and activities.

WVAC is comprised of four (4) subcommittees: 

  • Clinical Asthma Management
  • Community Outreach and Education
  • Environmental Action
  • Schools and Pediatrics

WVAC is governed by an Executive Committee which includes annually elected subcommittee chairs,  the WVAC President, Vice President, the WVAEPP Program Manager, and the ALAWV Coalition Manager. The WVAC President, Vice President and subcommittee chairs are elected annually in September by a majority vote. (See Bylaws below for more details)

The WVAC subcommittees focus on implementing projects that will help achieve the goals addressed in The Strategic Plan for Addressing Asthma in West Virginia.

Goals of the WVAC
  1. Help everyone understand the seriousness of asthma.
  2. Promote and ensure the appropriate diagnosis and management of asthma by health care professionals.
  3. Encourage patients with asthma–regardless of income, color, gender, creed, language or disability– to enter into a continuum of care by facilitating access to care.
  4. Provide the latest information on asthma health, medication and medical treatment.

  5. Improve the quality of life for the patients with asthma.

Accomplishments of the WVAC include:

  • The Asthma Friendly School Awards to recognize and award schools in West Virginia who achieve this standard. The FIRST school to be recognized was Meadow Bridge Elementary in May 2009!
  • Finalization of the Strategic Plan for Addressing Asthma in West Virginia 2010-2014 was completed in May 2009 and was made available for distribution  in August 2009 during the Annual Asthma Retreat. Please view it on this website on the “Home” page.
  • Development and distribution of  takeACTION!: Addressing Asthma and Diabetes in WV Schools, an interactive CD-ROM and online program, targeted to teach school personnel how to assist students with these two chronic diseases. Continuing Education Units are available through this program.
  • Successful policy efforts that helped to pass the West Virginia Inhaler Law, which allows students to carry and self-administer their inhalers at school, and the Anti-Idling Policy aimed at reducing harmful pollutants on school property from school buses and from passenger vehicles which can trigger an asthma attack (See the “Policy, Legislation, and Health Advocacy” under the About the WVAEPP tab on this site or click here);
  • Implementation of statewide school-based asthma interventions; and
  • Continued implementation and evaluation of the goals of the Strategic Plan for Addressing Asthma in West Virginia 2010-2014. To view the plan click here.

For more information concerning the WVAC or becoming a member click on the following below. 

Membership Form  – Fillable PDF Version – Directions: Save the form to your computer, complete in full, and return to the WVAC Manager, Lindsay Elkins, via email at lelkins@lunginfo.org.

Membership Form – Printable Version – For those unable to save the fillable PDF form, please print form, print neatly and legibly, and fax or mail to Lindsay Elkins at (304)342.6096 or address to American Lung Association, c/o Lindsay Elkins, PO Box 3980, Charleston, WV 25339-3980.

Mission and Vision 

WVAC Fact Sheet

WVAC Subcommittees at a Glance

WVAC No Idling Campaign

WVAC Standing Rules – (Revised 2010) Provides details of being designated an active member within the Coalition

WVAC Bylaws