Asthma outreach begins in school
Targets community with large number of cases
One out of every six students at George Washington Carver Elementary School in San Francisco has asthma. That’s why the local chapter of the American Lung Association partnered with Kaiser Permanente Hospital in the city to implement the Open Airways for Schools program there.
It is designed for children ages 8 to 11 and teaches them how to manage their asthma. The standard Open Airways curriculum includes handouts for parents that summarize what the children learn in school. However, the San Francisco chapter of the Lung Association has made a few changes. "We have augmented the program with information for all students regardless of whether they have asthma. We also hope to add workshops for parents," says Amanda Purcell, MPH, director of lung health for the American Lung Association of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in Daly City, CA.
That’s because school administrators wanted all children to learn about asthma so they would be supportive of classmates who have episodes, Purcell explains. The information is designed to clear up misconceptions children have about asthma, says Purcell.
Although the program is currently limited to the elementary school, Purcell hopes eventually to reach the entire community because it has a high number of asthma sufferers. "We want to mobilize the community. We want them to realize that asthma is a problem, but it is a problem they can do something about," she explains.
[Editor’s note: To learn more about the Open Airways for Schools program, contact the local chapter of the American Lung Association in your community. To reach your local chapter, dial (800) LUNG USA, anywhere in the United States.]
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