The Asthma & Allergy Center History and Mission

The Asthma & Allergy Center is dedicated to creating a better well-being for patients who suffer from asthma, and other allergic diseases, by providing expert and compassionate care, education and leading research solutions.

The Asthma and Allergy Center was founded in 1979 by Dr. Linda B. Ford as a modest practice within a family medicine clinic run by her late husband, Dr. Edward L. Ford, located at Midlands Medical Center in Papillion, Nebraska. Dr. Ford saw patients on Saturday mornings only, but soon her popularity and reputation grew. After several office expansion projects, The Asthma and Allergy Center grew to its current location, has over 25 employees and cares for over 10,000 patients.

The Asthma and Allergy Center treats thousands of patients with allergy-related problems, from allergic rhinitis, urticaria and asthma to various drug allergies. Leading-edge procedures in the clinic help pinpoint diagnoses for patient disorders and include; skin testing for allergens, venoms and antibiotics, patch testing for a variety of compounds, spirometry, rhinoscopy, and varied challenges such as exercise, methacholine, and ingestion. In
addition to providing world-class care, The Asthma and Allergy Center helped bring many of today's asthma and allergy medicines to patients through 30 years of successful research.

Many of those drugs radically improved the lives of those with allergies, asthma and immunologic disorders. Clinic research helped supply such staples of today's medicine to patients in need such as albuterol, Claritin, Singular, Zyrtec, Flovent, Advair, Xolair, and Pulmicort. The Center continues to build on its record of successful research and has expanded to include a dedicated Director of Clinical Research, Dr. James L. Sullivan. The Asthma & Allergy Center also has the very distinguished honor of being one of a small handful of sites in the country that are designated as a Clinical Research Network (CRN) site.

Today, Dr. Ford is recognized as a distinguished Allergy and Immunology physician both locally and nationally due to her patient care and contributions to medical science through clinical research. She served nationally as presidents of The American Lung Association and The American Medical Association Foundation, is recognized for her significant contributions to medical science and the local community, and plays a prominent role in health care policy for Nebraskans.

The Asthma and Allergy Center is poised for even greater growth under the direction of Dr. Ford and Dr. Sullivan. The care and commitment to patients is the foundation from which the Center is able to grow. New staff is continually added who share the enthusiasm and compassion of The Asthma and Allergy Center . The physicians and staff of The Asthma & Allergy Center are looking forward to another 30 years of caring for the people of Nebraska and making contributions to medical science on a national level.