Inside Pediatrics Magazine Fall/Winter 2025

PULMONOLOGY

Bringing Asthma Care Closer to Home in Alabama’s Black Belt

NEW INITIATIVE TO HELP ASTHMA PATIENTS IN UNDERSERVED REGION

D allas, Marengo, Perry and Wilcox counties, part of the Black Belt (so named for its rich, dark soil), are four of the poorest counties in Alabama. They also have some of the highest rates of childhood asthma— nearly 12% compared to the state’s 8%—and are severely underserved when it comes to medical care. Two of the counties don’t even have a pediatrician.

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