Brenda Wingo was a valued and dedicated member of Emory University’s Department of Emergency Medicine who worked tirelessly to support the department’s educational mission at Grady Health System. Afflicted with asthma, Ms. Wingo died suddenly as a result of an asthma attack in 2005. This fund is dedicated not only to her memory, but more importantly to support education, research and equipment needs for asthma patients at Grady. Purpose of the Fund: Your donations will be used to support educational and research efforts at Grady to fight asthma. Projects include, but are not limited too: Patient educational materials Emergency medication for patients with economic challenges Developmental funding for junior faculty interested in asthma targeted research Asthma related equipment or supply needs for patients.

Brenda Wingo

Overview
An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from asthma (1 in 15 Americans), and 50% of asthma cases are "allergic-asthma". The prevalence of asthma has been increasing since the early 1980s across all age, sex and racial groups. Asthma is characterized by inflammation of the air passages resulting in the temporary narrowing of the airways that transport air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Asthma symptoms can be caused by allergens or irritants that are inhaled into the lungs, resulting in inflamed, clogged and constricted airways. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. In severe cases, asthma can be deadly.

Fast Facts

• Every day in America:
• 40,000 people miss school or work due to asthma.
• 30,000 people have an asthma attack.
• 5,000 people visit the emergency room due to asthma.
• 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma.
• 14 people die from asthma.
• Morbidity
• Asthma accounts for one-quarter of all emergency room visits in the U.S. each year, with 2 million emergency room visits.
• Each year, asthma accounts for more than 10 million outpatient visits and 500,000 hospitalizations.
• Nearly half (44%) of all asthma hospitalizations are for children.
• Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization in children.
• Asthma is the #1 cause of school absenteeism among children accounting for more than 14 million total missed school days.
• African Americans are three times more likely to be hospitalized from asthma.
• Mortality
• Each day 14 Americans die from asthma. There are more than 5,000 deaths due to asthma each year, many of which are avoidable with proper treatment and care. In addition, asthma is indicated as “contributing factor” for nearly 7,000 other deaths each year.
• More females die of asthma than males, and women account for nearly 65% of asthma deaths overall.
• African Americans are three times more likely to die from asthma. African American women have the highest asthma mortality rate of all groups, more than 2.5 times higher than Caucasian women.
• Social and Economic Costs
• The annual cost of asthma is estimated to be nearly $18 billion.
• Direct costs accounted for nearly $10 billion (hospitalizations the single largest portion of direct cost) and indirect costs of $8 billion (lost earnings due to illness or death).
• Among children ages 5 to 17, asthma is the leading cause of school absences from a chronic illness. It accounts for an annual loss of more than 14 million school days per year (approximately 8 days for each student with asthma) and more hospitalizations than any other childhood disease. It is estimated that children with asthma spend an nearly 8 million days per year restricted to bed.

Contributions:
Please make checks payable to the Henry W. Grady Health System Foundation. Please indicate on the "for line" the Brenda Wingo Asthma Fund.

Send checks directly to:
Henry W. Grady Health System Foundation
c/o The Brenda Wingo Asthma Fund
50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 803
Atlanta, GA 30303

Contact Information:
For more information on how you can support the Brenda Wingo Fund at the Henry W.Grady Health System Foundation, please call (404) 489-1550. Your donations to help combat this terrible disease will be greatly appreciated and will go directly to help patients at Grady Health System.