The CHICAGO Plan

Coordinated Healthcare Interventions for Childhood Asthma Gaps in Outcomes

Chicago is an epicenter for asthma health disparities in the U.S., with African-American children 5-11 years bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. Among the most visible of these disparities is the high rate of visits to the Emergency Department (ED) for uncontrolled asthma. It is unclear how effective guideline recommendations and strategies to reduce environmental triggers of asthma really are after children are discharged from the ED.

The CHICAGO (Coordinated Healthcare Interventions for Childhood Asthma Gaps in Outcomes) Plan is a collaborative effort between 13 Chicago based institutions, including the University of Illinois Hospital & Sciences System. This broad-based collaborative, including caregivers, patient advocacy groups, public health officers, and patient-centered outcomes researchers, is dedicated to eliminating asthma health disparities. The CHICAGO Plan tests both provider- and patient-level interventions to improve clinically meaningful outcomes in a minority pediatric ED population with uncontrolled asthma. The goal is to improve outcomes in minority children with uncontrolled asthma through provider and patient-level interventions.