Asthma Canada

Asthma Canada, formerly the Asthma Society of Canada, is a non profit charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and health for people living with asthma and associated allergies through education and research. The vision of Asthma Canada is to empower every child and adult with asthma in Canada to live an active and symptom-free life. Asthma Canada represents over three million Canadians living with asthma, along with their caregivers and all others impacted by asthma, and also provides resources for people suffering from allergies.

Asthma information

Asthma Canada maintains a website for asthma education, Asthma.ca. The website includes information for those living with asthma, and contains educational resources about asthma. The resources can be accessed electronically; hard-copies are available for ordering in both English and French. Asthma Canada provides a free call-back service connecting Canadians with Certified Respiratory Educators (1-866-787-4050), and distributes information at community centres, health fairs and other public events.

Asthma Canada Member Alliance

The Asthma Canada Member Alliance (ACMA), formerly known as the National Asthma Patient Alliance (NAPA) was founded in 2008 in Hamilton, Ontario. It is directed by a group of patient volunteers representing each province and territory in Canada. The goals of ACMA are to increase patient awareness about how to achieve optimal asthma control, address communication and advocacy needs of asthma patients, and build a network of patient volunteers dedicated to improving asthma care and education.

ACMA developed the Asthma Patient Bill of Rights,^[1] and participates in advocacy campaigns that affect Canadians with asthma.

Other programs

Asthma Canada is the official Canadian partner of the Asthma and Allergy Friendly certification program, operated by Allergy Standards Limited^[2], which tests and certifies household products on a pass/fail basis for allergen reduction. Team Asthma is a brand which promotes asthma awareness and healthy lifestyles through participation in running races, triathlons, and other athletic competitions. Anyone with a connection to asthma is encouraged to join Team Asthma and wear the clothing during competitions.

Asthma Canada runs the Asthma Ambassadors program,^[3]which allows interested Canadians an opportunity to volunteer spreading asthma information in their communities. This is done through peer-to-peer support, providing education packages to their friends, and placing them in visible community locations.

Asthma Canada has made itself available for consultation on public health matters, including cats on airlines, an issue for highly allergic persons.^[4]

References