ORGANIZING THE COMMUNITY TO TARGET POOR LATINO CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA

A community-university partnership to improve outcomes of care for poo r Latino children (aged 6-14 years) with asthma in East Los Angeles wa s based on development of a community infrastructure. A family-centere d educational program involved over 500 families. The Association of L atinos with Asthma and Allergy Symptoms (ALAAS) was formed. Parents re port reductions in hospitalizations, emergency room, and acute care vi sits, Survival of the infrastructure following the end of grant funds is unlikely unless other resources offset the costs of volunteerism am ong poor families. Block grants to community agencies from established fund-raising groups might reduce dependency-producing practices curre ntly employed to ''help'' the poor.