NEW! California Resources for Reducing Asthma in Schools
Asthma's Big Impact in California
Did you know that in some counties in California nearly 1 in 3 students has been diagnosed with asthma? Wow! Nearly 13% of California students statewide have been diagnosed with this disease, the effects of which can include missed school days, disruption of sleep and daily activities, lower academic performance, urgent medical visits, and even death. As the American Lung Association's old motto said: "When you can't breathe, nothing else matters."
Huge Costs to Schools
Asthma-related absences are costing California schools more than $30 million per year in lost revenue. While there is no cure for asthma, there are ways that students can minimize the disruptions and control symptoms with appropriate medications and minimizing asthma triggers in their daily environments.
State Leaders Support Asthma-Safe Schools
In February 2012, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, and the Director of California's Department of Public Health, Dr. Ron Chapman, together wrote to all California school district superintendents and administrators asking them to follow the Department of Education's guidelines for managing asthma and to use and benefit from the state's programs and resources to reduce asthma in schools.
New Tools for Asthma-Safe Schools
One set of new tools developed by the California Schools Environmental Health and Asthma Collaborative (SEHAC), are the Asthma QuickTakes: short, practical videos that you can use to educate yourself and your school community about how to reduce triggers and better help students with asthma.
Each QuickTake video contains basic, useful asthma information and ready-to-use downloadable resources - such as checklists and posters to use in your classroom or school - that will help you reduce the negative impacts asthma can have on student health, attendance and academic achievement.
Please take a moment to learn more about what you can do to reduce asthma at your school!
Related Resources:
California Department of Education Guidelines for the Management of Asthma: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/asthmaguidelines.asp
California Department of Public Health "California Breathing" website: http://www.californiabreathing.org/