Asthma Program Manager

Clearing the Air: An Asthma Toolkit for Healthy Schools

Sponsoring Program Name: 
Health Resources in Action
In any given classroom, at least two or three students are likely to have asthma. Clearing the Air: An Asthma Toolkit for Healthy Schools is a new toolkit containing sample policy language, best practices, and curated resources & tools to help schools create an asthma-friendly environment. This is a project of the MA Asthma Action Partnership, Health Resources in Action, and the MA DPH’s Asthma Prevention and Control Program.

Improving the air quality inside and outside of school buildings can improve students’ health and readiness to learn. The Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership (MAAP), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Asthma Prevention and Control Program (APCP), and Health Resources in Action, have developed a new resource, Clearing the Air: An Asthma Toolkit for Healthy Schools to help schools create an asthma-friendly learning and working environment. This toolkit contains sample policy language, best practices, and curated resources and tools. Nine policy and practice areas have been identified as target areas to help improve air quality:

  • School-wide environmental health and safety management
  • Green cleaning and environmental purchasing programs
  • Integrated pest management
  • Leaks and moisture
  • Clutter
  • Outdoor air pollution
  • Fragrance
  • Tobacco
  • Clinical asthma management in the school setting 
Contact Name: 
Isabel Francisco
Contact Email: 
ifrancisco@hria.org
Contact Phone: 
6173919470
Resource Category: 
Resource Type: 
Language: 

Evaluation of the Environmental Scoring System in Multiple Child Asthma Intervention Programs in Boston, Massachusetts

Our study demonstrated that the Environmental Scoring System is a useful tool for measuring home asthma triggers and can be applied regardless of program and survey designs, and that demographics of the target population may influence the improvement in asthma outcomes.

"Evaluation of the Environmental Scoring System in Multiple Child Asthma Intervention Programs in Boston, Massachusetts"

Dong

American Journal of Public Health

January 2018; 108(1): 103-111

Entire article

 

Objectives. To test the applicability of the Environmental Scoring System, a quick and simple approach for quantitatively measuring environmental triggers collected during home visits, and to evaluate its contribution to improving asthma outcomes among various child asthma programs.

 

Methods. We pooled and analyzed data from multiple child asthma programs in the Greater Boston Area, Massachusetts, collected in 2011 to 2016, to examine the association of environmental scores (ES) with measures of asthma outcomes and compare the results across programs.

 

Results. Our analysis showed that demographics were important contributors to variability in asthma outcomes and total ES, and largely explained the differences among programs at baseline. Among all programs in general, we found that asthma outcomes were significantly improved and total ES significantly reduced over visits, with the total Asthma Control Test score negatively associated with total ES.

 

Conclusions. Our study demonstrated that the Environmental Scoring System is a useful tool for measuring home asthma triggers and can be applied regardless of program and survey designs, and that demographics of the target population may influence the improvement in asthma outcomes.

Target Audience: 

Request for proposals: Support for asthma programs with comprehensice environmental health services

Sponsoring Program Name: 
The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI)
Request for proposals: Support for asthma programs with comprehensice environmental health services

Technical Assistance for Organizations, Cities, Counties, and States

 

Request for proposals: Support for asthma programs with comprehensice environmental health services

 

The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) has received $200,000 in funding for the first year of a three-year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the result of a highly competitive open grant competition focused on reducing public exposure to indoor pollutants.

 

The collaborative project will allow for three simultaneous technical assistance and support activities - business development, reimbursement, and an Asthma Outcome Metrics Working Group - and will allow GHHI to provide support to:

 

  1. Develop and implement asthma home visiting programs that provide comprehensive environmental health services;
  2. Increase Medicaid funding for these interventions; and
  3. Convene and manage the Asthma Outcome Metrics Working Group to develop Environmental Management & Health Outcomes Metrics (EMHOME) system.

 

Important dates:

  • November 8, 2017: Business Development RFP and Application Guide released
  1. Business Development RFP
  2. Business Development Application Guide
  3. RFP Application Cover Sheet

 
Contact Email: 
info@ghhi.org
Contact Phone: 
410-534-6447
Resource Category: 
Target Audience: 

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