The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) created a central resource [termed the School-based Asthma, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Management Program (SA3MPROTM)], in collaboration with others to assist students with asthma and allergies and their families practice consistent management of their conditions at school. In April 2019, with Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the AAAAI and others initiated the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act (H.R. 2468) as bipartisan legislation to support the SA3MPROTM program. The legislation was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 29 and U.S. Senate on December 17, 2020.
H.R. 2468 amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the conditions under which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in making asthma-related grants, gives preference to a state. The measure will give preference to states that require elementary and secondary schools to have at least one individual, such as a school nurse or other school staff, to direct and apply a comprehensive school-based allergies and asthma management program on a voluntary basis. The program will include a method to identify students with allergies and asthma, have on file an action plan for each individual student, and develop a support system for each such student coordinating school staff, family members and health care providers. The two most important strategies for preparing schools in the event of an asthma incident are implementing individual action plans and preparing school staff to assist children experiencing an attack.
Its passage by the 116th Congress reflects ongoing AAAAI advocacy efforts, and those of its patient advocacy organizations, including the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the Allergy and Asthma Network, along with the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
For more information, visit www.aaaai.org/SAMPRO.