MAAP Coalition Meeting: Advancing Asthma Care: Emerging Therapies and Guidelines with Dr. Robyn Cohen

On February 5th, 2025, Dr. Robyn Cohen, a pediatric pulmonologist at Boston Medical Center, delivered a compelling presentation at the MAAP Coalition Meeting, "Advancing Asthma Care: Emerging Therapies and Guidelines." The session provided valuable insights into the latest developments in asthma management for children, with a focus on improving care for all children, irrespective of their clinic attendance. 

Dr. Cohen discussed her work with WellSense and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to bridge asthma care gaps. She also shared her expertise on the recent updates to asthma medication guidelines, including the SMART (Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy) and AIR (Anti-inflammatory Reliever) approaches. Dr. Cohen emphasized the need for targeted interventions to address asthma-related disparities, particularly in reducing emergency visits among children from minority communities. 

Key takeaways from the session include: 

• The 2020 asthma management updates, recommending a combination inhaler for moderate persistent asthma to streamline treatment. 

• The importance of regular asthma assessments and clarifying common confusion around inhaler use. 

• Dr. Cohen’s insights on biologics for severe asthma patients, highlighting how these treatments target the root causes of symptoms and improve patient outcomes. 

The session also covered efforts by MassHealth WellSense ACO to enhance asthma management, access to biologics for Medicaid patients, and the services offered by the Boston Public Health Commission. 

Update on MA Statewide Asthma Strategic Planning

A snapshot of some participants from MAAP Strategic Planning Session 1

Over the past several months, the MA DPH Asthma Prevention and Control Program (APCP) and MAAP, led a planning process to inform the development of the Strategic Plan for Asthma for MA: 2021-2026, facilitated by Health Resources in Action. This plan is meant to provide guidance and inspiration for asthma work focused on prevention and control across the Commonwealth over these five years.

It includes broad goals and strategies focused on four priority areas: schools, housing, outdoor air quality, and clinical care & linkages. Promoting racial and health equity were guiding principles for the plan, designed for the entire state and prioritizing the following communities: Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Holyoke Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Southbridge, Springfield, and Worcester. These eleven cities were identified as having the highest burden of asthma in Massachusetts based according to higher asthma hospitalization/ED rates, higher prevalence of COVID-19, and lower ICE scores (Index of Concentrations at the Extremes), a ratio of the concentration of the most privileged to the concentration of the most deprived in a given community.

Many of these strategic planning discussions focused on how we can foster effective partnerships to advance work to address asthma across the state. For example, one objective for outdoor air quality is “By 2024, implement quarterly communications about real time local air quality and related public health threats to the 11 targeted communities and other vulnerable neighborhoods near major sources of mobile/point sources of pollution”. Through this process, MAAP has learned about local monitoring efforts starting and led by community-based organizations with residents. This includes in Chelsea led by GreenRoots, with assistance from the MA Department of Environmental Protection, and in Codman Square led by the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation and in Lynn, in collaboration with EarthWatch Institute. We look forward to lifting up their efforts, and helping to spread best practices and lessons across the State.

When completed, the plan will be posted on both MA DPH APCP’s and MAAP’s website. We thank everyone who participated and appreciate the level of thoughtfulness and respect put into this process; there were 65 participants, representing more than 40 institutions (community-based organizations, health care, schools and academia, government agencies, etc.), who donated their time and mental energy to develop the plan! After nearly a year of Covid-19 disruption and loss, we are feeling hopeful in the New Year and excited to press forward to tackle this work together.