Help Catch a Breath
May 22, 2013
May is National Asthma Awareness Month, a critically important observance in California and Alameda County:
* Approximately five million Californians - or one in eight people - have been diagnosed with asthma.
* Asthma is the leading cause of hospital stays for young children in Alameda County, and also a leading cause of missed days of school and play time.
In-Home, In-Community Support
Several First 5 Alameda County partners are doing exemplary work in the fight against childhood asthma. The Alameda County Public Health Department's Asthma Start Program provides in-home case management services for families of children with asthma. Services include educating families about asthma, asthma triggers, asthma medications and modeling of questions to ask health care providers; home inspections to identify the causes or triggers of a child's asthma attacks; assistance with housing, employment, and health insurance, and other services. Preliminary results show significant savings in medical costs as a result of in-home case management services for families of children with asthma.
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland has an extensive program of asthma education in the community, including visiting doctors in their offices to help them better understand asthma, and classes for patients and families to help them cope with and manage asthma. Today asthma is the single largest admitting diagnosis at Children's Hospital, where pulmonologists who specialize in treating kids and only kids provide acute medical care to treat asthma.
Comprehensive Picture
Finally, check out this Asthma in California surveillance report from California Breathing. It presents a comprehensive picture of the burden of asthma in our state, compiling all available asthma surveillance data into a single source.
For updates, photos and more...
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