Asthma Education/ Prevention

The Douglas County Health Department is one of 44 partners working with the Omaha Asthma Alliance (OAA) to address the growing public health problem of asthma in Douglas and Sarpy County. The OAA is a local broad-based coalition that functions under the leadership of the American Lung Association of Nebraska. A major effort of this collaborative partnership is the newly released document, "Asthma in Douglas and Sarpy Counties-A Report to the Community". This detailed document provides current information on deaths, hospitalizations, emergency room visits, physician office visits by Medicaid enrollees, self-reported asthma, and asthma in schools. The entire document, Asthma in Douglas and Sarpy Counties-A Report to the Community, is available on-line at ../ or you can call Health Education at 444-7475 for a copy.

A major recommendation is to educate the community on how to identify and avoid exposure to environmental allergens that can cause or worsen asthma, including tobacco smoke, mold spores, house dust mites, pet dander, indoor and outdoor air pollutants. The Health Department promotes the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Home and School Action kit as a useful tool to help school personnel control the physical environment through the elimination or reduction of indoor pollutants. The Tools for Schools Action Kit is available on-line at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools.

The Health Department is in its second year assisting school personnel to implement the Tools for Home and School project in Douglas County. Implementation of this project means defining a school-based team, conducting a school/home walk-through for basic air testing, use of checklists to identify asthma triggers and identifying a practical plan to eliminate or reduce triggers. Based on past feedback from school personnel the project has been adapted to include both the home and school environment. For more information on the newly revised, Tools for Home and School project, contact Tom Baker at (402) 444-7486.

Additional Links

www.epa.gov/iaq/asthma/index.html

www.lungnebraska.org