Bethlehem Partnership for a Healthy Community Asthma Initiative

Through a collaborative approach between schools, family centers, medical providers and families, the Asthma Initiative addresses asthma management for the elementary-level child and his/her family. In-school education is provided to elementary school age children in Title 1 schools within the Bethlehem School District. Home assessments are also provided as needed by partners of the initiative. Goals of the initiative for the 2005-06 school year included, offering 1hr. parent lectures on asthma management at each of the Title 1 elementary schools, inform all school nurses and health assistants on current asthma management, offer home evaluations/education to families of all students enrolled in the asthma initiative, institute a bilingual asthma action plan to be used by primary providers of the Bethlehem Area School District children, including St. Luke's Hospital Health Network and the Bethlehem Health Bureau. Offer and provide free influenza vaccine to all of the children enrolled in the Asthma Initiative. Provide a Medical Grand rounds at St. Luke's Hospital to discuss current trends and treatments of asthma. Lastly, to continue to provide in-school education to Title 1 elementary schools within the Bethlehem Area School District. All goals noted were completed for this school year.

Additional statistics were obtained at the end of the school year, from the students who were new to the program and included: 92% of students could correctly use a peak flow meter, 100% of those students had a meter at school and used it on a daily basis; 100% of the students knew the three zones of the meter and what they meant; 92% could identify their asthma triggers;38%of the children identified smoke as their main children while 69% of those students lived with someone who smokes; 62% of the students have asthma medication at school and 77% of them have meds at home; 46% of the students received a flu shot this year; 100% of the students have insurance with 73%of them utilizing public assistance insurance. The end of the school year there were a total of 62% of the students with asthma action plans on file at school, with copies of them sent to the home, of these action plans 50% of the students were ordered controller medication and 92% of the students were ordered a rescue medication.