It Takes a Community: Rutland’s Multi-Faceted, Multi-Sector Approach to Addressing Asthma

Vermont has one of the highest rates of asthma in the nation. The Rutland region, a rural part of the state that is home to about 60,000 of Vermont’s 626,000 residents, is particularly impacted by asthma. Compared to the state, rates of asthma in Rutland are similar, however, asthma-related emergency department use is 30% higher and asthma-related hospitalization is twice that of the state.

Collaborative action in Rutland, with support from the Vermont Asthma Program, has increased services and enhanced systems aiming to reduce the burden of asthma in the community. As this success story shows, over the past decade, stakeholders from the health care, public health, and education sectors in Rutland have worked to improve coordination across sectors, provider knowledge and education, patient education and behaviors, and public health programming to promote asthma management.
JSI, 2015