Health centers around the country conduct asthma research and treatment. Efforts focused on poor minority communities are overseen by several Department of Health and Human Services agencies including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Research, though, on industrial triggers for asthma is primarily supported by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

While numerous non-profit environmental health groups focus on asthma relatively few actually work as partners with poor minority communities. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology through Academy CAN! (Consulting Allergist Network), places volunteer allergists in community health care centers where they consult with center clinicians and training staff on the latest diagnosis and management of allergies and asthma. In partnership with the Congress of National Black Churches, the AAAAI has also created educational materials about asthma. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has numerous local chapters, some of which partner with poor minority communities to fight asthma.

A survey of state health departments in 1996 found that no state had an asthma control program. Yet, recent studies estimate the cost of childhood asthma from household triggers to exceed $800 million per year. The cost of occupation asthma is estimated to be $1.6 billion. Poor minority communities, and the health care systems that serve them, bear the brunt of these costs. Comprehensive models to eliminate childhood asthma have been proposed but have yet to be implemented.