Get to Know MAAP

Who are we?

  • The Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership (MAAP) is a program of Health Resources in Action that was established in 2008 with support from the MA Department of Public Health 

  • MAAP brings together state agencies, local health and human service organizations, health care providers, and housing and education stakeholders to reduce asthma health disparities and improve the quality of life for all people with asthma in the Commonwealth. 

  • MAAP is the only statewide asthma partnership that links local efforts across the state and brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to achieve sustainable statewide changes in the environment, education and quality of health care as they relate to asthma. 

Our Vision

  • MAAP envisions healthy communities where all people with asthma live active, healthy lives, and where the social and environmental inequities that contribute to the unequal burden of the disease are eliminated. 

Our Mission

  • MAAP’s mission is to reduce the impact of asthma with an emphasis on health equity, particularly in communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities. MAAP coordinates statewide strategies and amplifies partners’ efforts for the prevention and management of asthma, with a focus on addressing social and environmental root causes. 

Why are we needed?

  • In 2023 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 8.9% of adults and 6.7% of children in the United States have asthma. In 2015, 10.2% of adults in Massachusetts reported having asthma. Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of asthma in adults and children among the United States. 

What do we do?

  • The focus of MAAP's efforts is improving asthma outcomes and promoting primary prevention for adults and children across the Commonwealth, especially in those regions with high asthma hospitalization rates. 

  • Currently MAAP and its members are working to support the goals and objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan for Asthma in Massachusetts: 2021-2026. 

  • MAAP hosts annual summits to bring together statewide asthma partners and stakeholders across the Commonwealth. Read more about our 2024 Summit, Asthma in a Changing Climate – Collaborative Strategies for Resilience, here.  

Guiding Our Work  

MAAP is led by a Steering Committee, whose members are dedicated to advancing the Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership. Their diverse backgrounds enable MAAP to achieve statewide improvement in the environment, education, and quality of health care as they relate to asthma. 

Current Steering Committee Members 

  • Al Vega, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health

  • Ana Jamarillo, Holyoke Health Center

  • Carla Caraballo, Lowell Community Health Center

  • Darris Jordan, Boston Public Health Commission

  • Eugene Barros, Boston Public Health Commission

  • Gricelides Saex, River Valley Counseling Center

  • James Brooks, Housing Development & Healthy Homes at City of Worcester

  • Maya Dottin, MA Department of Public Health

  • Michelle Warner, Ex-officio, MA Department of Public Health

  • Sarita Hudson, Public Health Institute of Western MA

The Strategic Plan for Asthma in Massachusetts  

In partnership with the MA Department of Public Health, MAAP facilitates the development, planning, and implementation of the five-year Strategic Plan for Asthma in Massachusetts. The document represents a collaborative effort from many stakeholders to provide a strategic direction for reducing the burden of asthma while reducing disparities in asthma outcomes. Our strategic plan represents a coordinated approach that targets both the clinical and environmental aspects of asthma. It relies on a strong surveillance system to inform its work. Active statewide and local partnerships work to accomplish these goals. The strategic plan is a living document that reflects the priorities of the partners and the opportunities available at the time of drafting. 

Strategic for Asthma in MA 2022-2026 

The plan is available for download here. 

This plan includes broad goals and strategies for the state to focus on four priority areas: schools, housing, outdoor air quality, and clinical care & linkages.  

Promoting health and racial equity were guiding principles for the plan, as was 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 on 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 each community.