Controlling Asthma in the Richmond Metropolitan Area (CARMA)

CARMA’s mission is to work with families and the community to improve the quality of life for children with asthma in Central Virginia. For the first seven years, funding was provided by a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with supplemented funding from the Bon Secours Richmond Health System, the Virginia Department of Health and the EPA. Beginning in 2008, CARMA is supported by Bon Secours Richmond. CARMA has partnership interventions with local school systems, child care and Head Start providers, local hospitals, local health departments, pediatricians’ offices and other community-based organizations. Education activities include community and in-school asthma classes for children and their caregivers; asthma education for Head Start and child care teachers/directors; public school staff and school nurses; in-home asthma trigger education and mitigation; and asthma updates for hospital nursing staff. Other activities include asthma updates and a quality improvement program for pediatric physicians’ practices; and a case management partnership with Children’s Health Involving Parents of Greater Richmond (CHIP). Initial results indicate a dramatic decrease in the number of ED visits (70%) and hospitalizations (86%) for children with asthma who have completed the Case Management program.