Allergy & Asthma Network to Advocate for Patients, Access to Care Innovations at Annual Capitol Hill Day on May 12

VIENNA, Va., April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Allergy & Asthma Network will head to Capitol Hill on Thursday, May 12 to advocate for patients and urge Congress to take action on key legislative issues including telehealth services and school asthma management programs that expand access to care. The visits are part of the organization's 19^th annual Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill (AADCH) in Washington, D.C.

Former NFL player Ickey Woods and Grammy-nominated Gospel artist Natalie Grant are among the scheduled speakers at AADCH's Congressional Briefing, 12:00 p.m. ET at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Woods, an All-Pro running back for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1988-91 and best known for his "Ickey Shuffle" touchdown dance, will tell the story of his son Jovante, who passed away at the age of 16 after a severe asthma flare in August 2010. Woods established the Jovante Woods Foundation to raise money for asthma research at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Grant, a singer-songwriter with more than 3 million in career sales, four Grammy nominations and five Gospel Music Association's Female Artist of the Year awards to her credit, will share how her daughter Gracie's hospitalization due to asthma highlights the need for patients and families to understand the importance of asthma education.

The Network is the leading voice and patient advocate for more than 50 million Americans with allergies and 24 million with asthma. During AADCH, the Network will bring together members of Congress and their staff, families impacted by asthma or allergies, and healthcare professionals, all of whom have one common goal – to end needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions.

The Network will focus on two key legislative initiatives at AADCH:

• The School-Based Asthma Management Program Act (HR 4662) would give federal funding preference to states that encourage schools to stock emergency supplies of quick-relief albuterol inhalers, the medication used to treat asthma flares. The bill would allow trained school personnel to administer the inhaler if necessary and implement a school-based asthma management program to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment.
• The Medicare Telehealth Parity Act (HR 2948) would expand coverage of telehealth – real-time, face-to-face video visits between patients and healthcare professionals located at different sites. A key component of the bill would increase the list of telehealth providers to include respiratory therapists, among others.

"Asthma and allergies are chronic diseases and managing them can be complicated, expensive and overwhelming," says Tonya Winders, President and CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network. "Expanding access to care helps more patients get the treatment and education they need to better manage their condition – and live a full, active life."

During the Congressional Briefing, Michelle Freemer, MD, Asthma Program Director with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), will discuss the 2016 update to the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. The update is expected to include new guidelines for allergy immunotherapy, the role of long-acting anti-muscarinic medications in asthma management and bronchial thermoplasty (a surgical procedure for severe asthma).

Paul Garbe, Director of the National Asthma Control Program for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will address "The State of Asthma in the U.S." and Alisa Smith, Deputy Director of the Indoor Environments Division for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will discuss reimbursement for indoor air quality assessments.

AADCH concludes on Thursday evening with a networking reception at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. During the reception, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present the EPA National Environmental Leadership Awards in Asthma Management to four deserving programs across the United States.

Patients, families, healthcare professionals, advocates and industry partners are invited to participate in AADCH. Registration is required. For information, visit www.allergyasthmanetwork.org/advocacy/allergy-asthma-day-capitol-hill.

Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill
Thursday, May 12, 2016

"Innovation & Asthma Management:
Unlocking Barriers to Care"

Advocacy Training and Breakfast
Prepare for Congressional visits and review key issues.
-- 7:00-8:30 a.m., Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Congressional Visits
Meet with members of Congress and their staff as an individual or in group meetings. Allergy & Asthma Network staff will arrange meetings according to participants' home districts.
-- 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

Congressional Briefing
Listen to patient advocates and leaders in the healthcare field discuss policies and priorities affecting people with asthma and allergies. Speakers include:

• Ickey Woods, former NFL player and father of a 16-year-old boy who passed away due to asthma
• Natalie Grant, four-time Grammy-nominated Gospel artist and mother of a child with asthma
• Michelle Freemer, MD, Asthma Program Director, NHLBI
• Paul Garbe, Director of National Asthma Control Program, CDC
• Alisa Smith, Deputy Director, Indoor Environments Division, EPA

-- 12:00 p.m., Room B-340, Rayburn House Office Building
75 C Street SW, Washington, D.C.

Networking Reception
Meet with fellow advocates, healthcare professionals and industry leaders.
-- 5:30-7:30 p.m., Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill 

AADCH Sponsors
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; AstraZeneca; Boehringer Ingelheim; Boston Scientific; Genentech; GlaxoSmithKline; Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; MEDA U.S.; Mylan Specialty LP; Novartis; TEVA Respiratory

About Allergy & Asthma Network
Allergy & Asthma Network is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. Allergy & Asthma Network specializes in sharing family-friendly, medically accurate information through its award-winning Allergy & Asthma Today magazine, E-newsletter, website at www.AllergyAsthmaNetwork.org and numerous community outreach programs. Follow Allergy & Asthma Network on Facebook at facebook/AllergyAsthmaHQ and Twitter at twitter.com/AllergyAsthmaHQ. Join Allergy & Asthma Network at www.AllergyAsthmaNetwork.org/join.

Contact: Gary Fitzgerald 
Allergy & Asthma Network
703-641-9595
[email protected]

SOURCE Allergy & Asthma Network

Related Links

http://www.AllergyAsthmaNetwork.org