The Cook County Board of Commissioners today voted to endorse a resolution put forward by Commissioner Donna Miller to recognize May as Asthma Awareness Month, and thank the Chicago Asthma Consortium for it's years of dedicated service.

"Our sincere appreciation to President Preckwinkle, the Board of Commissioners, and especially Commissioner Miller for championing the effort to make sure all people in Cook County have access to control the chronic disease asthma," said Matt Siemer, CAC's Board President. "The volunteers who make up the Chicago Asthma Consortium have worked tirelessly for almost 25 years to expand research and education about the prevention and treatment of asthma, to understand and communicate the unequal burden of asthma in disinvested areas of Cook County, and to craft policies that make our schools and public spaces safe for all people. We are very thankful for the show of support from the Board of Commissioners.”

Asthma is a leading cause of Emergency Department use in Cook County, and consistently ranks as one of the top causes of missed days from work and school. Minority populations are up to five times more likely to need to use the ER for asthma, and African American children, in particular, are eight times as likely to die from asthma as their Caucasian peers.

The Chicago Asthma Consortium has continued its work during the COVID-19 pandemic, launching the “Ask an Expert” video series, which allows people in Cook County to ask questions about the relationship between asthma and COVID, and get answers from some of the top asthma experts in the field.

The series can be found on the Chicago Asthma Consortium’s website: https://chicagoasthma.org

View entire resolution here.