Lung Health News, Fall 2005 / Winter 2006
INLAND COUNTIES IMPLEMENTS ASTHMA-FRIENDLY SCHOOLS
The American Lung Association of the Inland Counties is using funds from the American Lung Association’s Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative in three San Bernardino City schools to provide asthma education to staff and parents in English and Spanish, provide education to optimize air quality in the school and home environments, and enable children with asthma to participate fully in physical education.
KERN PROVIDES EDUCATION IN HOME VISITS
Funded by a grant from First 5 Kern, the American Lung Association of California, Kern County Branch, is providing an asthma education home-visit program in the homes of families of children with asthma ages five and younger. More than 120 children were served in one year.
REDWOOD EMPIRE FOCUSES ON ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS
The Sonoma County Asthma Coalition, led by the American Lung Association of California, Redwood Empire Branch, is partnering with non-profit Burbank Housing to bring “Healthy Living” workshops to seven residential sites.The workshop is designed for residents and maintenance staff to learn more about asthma and how to clean and maintain their rental units to reduce environmental triggers of asthma.
SAN FRANCISCO SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATES FOR CLEANER BUSES
The American Lung Association of San Francisco & San Mateo Counties, Parent Voices, and the local air district worked together to successfully advocate for the replacement of old toxic diesel school buses with cleaner-fueled vehicles.The dirty buses were more harmful to children inside the school bus than outside, especially children with asthma, many of whom are children of color.
EAST BAY HELPS PRODUCE ASTHMA REPORT
Between 2001 and 2003, 480,000 California students took the statewide California Healthy Kids Survey, which included asthma-related questions for the first time.The asthma prevalence results were made public during May 2005 in California Asthma Facts, a collaborative report the American Lung Association of the East Bay helped produce.
SANTA BARBARA RECEIVES GRANT FOR ASTHMA PROJECT
The American Lung Association of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, in partnership with five healthcare institutions, received more than $290,000 from the California Endowment to implement a Live Well with Asthma project. Asthma educators will be trained to educate and monitor asthmatics in six clinic locations to improve asthma treatment and outcomes.
LOS ANGELES MARCHES AGAINST ASTHMA
The American Lung Association of Los Angeles County marched in downtown Los Angeles on May 3 to celebrate World Asthma Day and raise awareness about the asthma epidemic in an event organized by the Los Angeles Asthma Coalition. In the last year and a half, the association provided Open Airways For Schools to 478 students in Los Angeles County.
SANTA CLARA WORKS WITH COUNTY HEALTH PROGRAM
The American Lung Association of Santa Clara-San Benito Counties is providing asthma education, screening and symptom management workshops to underserved populations throughout Santa Clara County as a service provider for the county’s “STEPS to a Healthier U.S.” program, one of only 40 projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for this five-year nationwide initiative.
SUPERIOR BRANCH PARTNERS WITH BUTTE COLLEGE
Respiratory therapy students from Butte College will receive training to teach the Open Airways For Schools program.The American Lung Association of California, Superior Branch, will also work with allergists from Enloe Hospital to conduct asthma screenings in Chico.
SACRAMENTO’S ASTHMA BOOK AVAILABLE IN FOUR LANGUAGES
The American Lung Association of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails’ “Your Asthma Book” and “Asthma Self-Care Plan,” tools that help asthmatics receive the proper care and better manage the disease, are available in four languages and more than 25,000 copies have been distributed internationally.
