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The Great American Asthma Challenge links people with asthma, their families and friends, healthcare providers, legislators and members of the healthcare industry in a shared mission, working at home and in their communities to transform asthma care in a ripple effect across the nation.

Participants log into a new interactive website, take a quick survey to establish a baseline and set goals, then they’re off to complete Challenge activities targeted for three levels of users: families, healthcare providers and legislators. New Challenges will be posted on the website each month. Throughout the Challenge, participants will see survey results and share feedback. The Challenge is self-paced and fun, plugging participants into a network of others who share their struggles, triumphs and goals. At the end of the Challenge, users take a survey to measure their progress.

This workshop was designed to help health care professionals enhance the quality of care they deliver by educating them about specific environmental asthma triggers and how they affect asthma outcomes as well as the appropriate remediation strategies.  The program also provides HCPs with information about the local resources that their patients may find useful such as asthma education classes, tenants rights and human services resources, pest control, community-level advocacy (ie. reducing neighborhood diesel idling), air quality monitor tools, etc.

By improving HCPs knowledge of the environmental issues and the wide variety of strategies for reducing exposure they can provide more comprehensive care, are more likely to communicate these issues to their patients, and are better equipped to provide meaningful information to their patients that will increase the patient and families capacity for successful self management.  

Please contact the Clean Air Council if you would like your office or clinic to receive this training workshop or would like any relevant information, hand-outs, triggers checklist, etc.

School health policies and programs provide the framework for a safe and supportive environment for students with asthma. School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006 data were examined to assess whether schools nationwide have policies and programs consistent with the "How Asthma-Friendly Is Your School?" checklist from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Adherence to some of the recommendations on the checklist was high. For example, 80% or more of schools allowed students to carry and self-administer asthma medications, and obtained and kept asthma action plans. For other recommendations, however, far fewer schools had the recommended polices or programs; most notably, less than one third of schools had a full-time Registered Nurse. Improvements in many school policies and programs are needed so that students have a safe and supportive school environment to help them control their asthma while away from home.