REGIONAL — You’ve seen it – the sudden stop in conversation, the wide eyes, the wheeze. A kid clutching their chest on a playground. An adult leaning over a cart in the grocery store, trying to draw a breath that won’t come. Asthma attacks hit fast, and for more than 400,000 Minnesotans, that frightening moment is always one breath away.
The Minnesota Department of Health hopes to change that with a newly updated five-year plan aimed at reducing asthma’s toll across the state, especially in communities where the burden has long been greatest.
Approximately 428,370 Minnesotans have asthma, including 1 in 12 adults and 1 in 24 children, making it the third most commonly diagnosed chronic illness in the state after hypertension and high cholesterol.
While the overall prevalence in Minnesota is below the national average, asthma continues to hit some communities far harder than others.
Low-income residents and communities of color face disproportionate exposure to environmental triggers, especially in the Twin Cities. In 2023, the state saw 15,180 emergency department visits due to asthma, along with 1,423 hospitalizations and 64 deaths.
That disparity isn’t limited to urban areas. St. Louis County, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the state, also reports higher-than-average asthma rates compared to other parts of greater Minnesota.
While asthma prevalence here still lags behind the levels seen in the metro, the county’s economic profile may help explain why the burden is greater than in many rural areas.
Asthma costs Minnesotans billions of dollars each year, from doctor visits and hospital stays to missed days of work and school. And that doesn’t account for the emotional toll it takes on families living with the disease.

Evolving response
The new plan replaces the 2021–2030 framework with a shorter, more flexible version designed to respond to changing conditions. It’s meant to guide health providers, educators, community health workers, public agencies, and families alike.
“It is not set-in-stone,” the report says. “It is intended to be a living document that can grow and change to best meet this goal.”
Seven broad goals shape the plan: advocacy, partnerships, data, asthma management, health equity, systems change, and healthy environments. These priorities align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Asthma Control Program, which has supported Minnesota’s efforts since 1999.

From acronym
to action
At the heart of Minnesota’s strategy is the CDC’s EXHALE model, six practical interventions aimed at reducing asthma’s impact statewide. The state plan walks through how Minnesota will bring each element to life.
Education initiatives emphasize asthma self-management, not only for individuals with asthma but for the families, providers, and communities that support them. The plan calls for “promoting and expanding AS-ME through partnerships, training and education opportunities, support of asthma home-visiting programs, and resource development.”
X-Tinguishing targets smoking, vaping, and secondhand smoke exposure, key triggers that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups. The department notes that “vaping erased 15 years of progress” and is expanding access to free cessation resources such as “My Life, My Quit” for teens and “Quit Partner” for adults.
Home strategies focus on getting support directly to families through in-home services. Local and Tribal health agencies will provide asthma home visits that help reduce triggers, improve medication routines, and cut down on school absences and emergency visits.
Achievement aims to keep asthma care consistent and up to date.
The plan includes tools and resources for providers, including guidelines, training materials, and multilingual posters, to help ensure patients receive care aligned with national best practices.
Linkages connect a wide range of partners, from schools and pharmacies to clinics and public health agencies. The Minnesota Asthma Alliance, launched in 2025, brings these voices together to reduce asthma’s impact through collaboration. Its goal: “to collectively share, problem-solve, strategize, and support resource development” statewide.
Environmental actions will engage agencies like the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Clean Air Minnesota to reduce asthma triggers both indoors and out. From mold and dust to outdoor air pollution and workplace irritants, the aim is to improve air quality in homes, schools, and communities.

Targets for change
The plan includes a set of statewide targets that may look modest on paper but represent significant public health gains given the complexity of asthma care and the barriers many Minnesotans face.
Among them: increasing the percentage of children with well-controlled asthma from 53.9 percent to 59.9 percent and improving adult control from 51.4 percent to 53.4 percent by 2030.
Emergency department visits for asthma are targeted to drop from 26.1 to 19.2 per 10,000 residents age five and older. Hospitalization rates are also expected to fall, and the asthma mortality rate, currently 9.6 deaths per million Minnesotans, is projected to decline.
While the goals are ambitious, the department emphasizes the need for shared responsibility.
“Ongoing progress on asthma requires collective effort,” the report notes. “The Asthma Program at Minnesota Department of Health is a convener and connector, supporter and sharer of resources, but we believe that the Framework positions effective work to continue if and when MDH support changes.”
Minnesotans who want to learn more, access support, or help shape asthma-related efforts can contact the MDH Asthma Program at 651-201-5909 or health.asthma@state.mn.us. More resources are available at www.health.mn.gov/asthma.