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Ozone and Your Patients' Health is a short, evidence-based training course designed for family practice doctors, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, asthma educators and other medical professionals who counsel patients about asthma and respiratory symptoms. This course is a short, evidence-based training that:

• Describes the physiological mechanisms responsible for the lung function changes and symptoms caused by exposure to ground-level ozone
• Describes the relationships observed between ground-level ozone and other adverse health effects
• Discusses in detail the effects of ozone exposure on patients with asthma
• Helps health care providers advise their patients about exposure to ozone
• Provides practical Patient Education Tools to help patients understand what triggers their symptoms and how to alleviate them

This Enduring Material activity, Ozone and Your Patients' Health, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1.50 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP certification begins December 15, 2011. Term of approval is for two years from this date with the option of yearly renewal. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Each year, the Foundation's report, the “State Honor Roll™ of Asthma and Allergy Policies 

for Schools,” outlines 18 school-related core policies proven to affect positive healthy school 

environments, then assesses each state on how many of these policies they have adopted.  

If a state has enacted at least 15 of the policies, it is listed on the Foundation’s “Honor Roll.”

While thousands of local schools and districts may show innovation and leadership in 

support of students and staff with asthma and allergies, strong state-wide policies are 

lacking throughout the U.S., with some rare bright spots. Visit www.StateHonorRoll.org today to

find out how your state compares!

The Asthma Guidelines Implementation Steps & Tools (GIST) project was funded in 2009 by the National Asthma Control Initiative (NACI) to develop a program that makes it easier for primary care clinicians to use the NHLBI asthma guidelines in their everyday care of patients with asthma. The Michigan Department of Community Health gathered a statewide team of experts in asthma and practice redesign, and created a set of tools and a program to implement them.

In 2011, NACI funded a second phase for GIST, using asthma champions to promote GIST with health professional audiences, and new practices are welcome to use the GIST materials to improve their asthma care.

GIST Materials can be individualized to suit your organization/practice.

• Questions About Your Breathing – A tool to help patients provide info about their breathing symptoms and history
  • Given to patients being seen for respiratory complaints, no current diagnosis of asthma
  • Usually given to patient before seeing clinician
• Asthma Control Test™ – A validated tool to assess patient's level of asthma control
• Asthma Diagnosis Tool – To help clinician diagnose asthma and assess severity
  • Clinician uses with patient being seen for respiratory complaints
• Asthma Patient Follow-Up Tool – To help clinician assess level of asthma control then take steps to maintain, increase or decrease treatment
  • Clinician can use with patient being seen for symptomatic asthma visit, scheduled asthma visit, or visit for other reason
• Stepwise Approach to Managing Asthma – To help clinician determine medication needs and management approach
  • Use steps as initiated on Diagnosis and Follow-Up Tools to determine medication type and dosage, adherence and environmental checks
• Asthma Action Plan – No set plan for GIST, but many good plans available if needed.