It has often been discussed that the roots of the West Virginia Asthma Coalition are difficult to understand, and as the West Virginia Asthma Coalition manager, I would have certainly agreed when I first took on this role. There are several different organizations that all work together to bring this Coalition to life, but how they all play into that can be somewhat complicated. As a follower of our social media, you have probably noticed that there are posts related to the Centers for Disease Control, the West Virginia Asthma Education and Prevention Program, and the American Lung Association in West Virginia, and you might have wondered how all of these organizations relate to what we do as a Coalition. Furthermore, at events, meetings, or on flyers, and notifications you might have seen logos for these organizations and wondered what they have to do with our efforts. Today I have decided that I am going to take an informal approach at explaining this relationship to you.
The West Virginia Asthma Education and Prevention Program (WV-AEPP) was created by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The WV-AEPP then provides funding to several other organizations in the area to help develop, implement, and evaluate a statewide strategic asthma plan in the ultimate interest of reducing the health and economic consequences attributed to asthma in West Virginia. One of those organizations that the WV-AEPP assists with funding is the American Lung Association in West Virginia (ALA-WV). Through a subcontract with the WV-AEPP, the ALA-WV manages the West Virginia Asthma Coalition.
For a better understanding of how this works, I developed a flow chart to explain the connection of all these organizations.
Along with this partnership, the Coalition is a diverse group of organizations and over 80 individuals that continue to branch the goals and work of all these organizations, from the top down.
Therefore, when you see representatives from the WV-AEPP or the ALA-WV at events representing the Coalition, this is where the connection stems from. Or, when you receive information from the ALA-WV or see postings on the social media sites from one of these organizations, it is an entire team of individuals working together to support the success of the Coalition.
