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EPA Grant to Children’s Hospital to Train Healthcare Workers About Reducing Asthma Triggers

Release Date: 07/29/2010
Contact Information: Donna Heron, [email protected] (215) 814-5513

PHILADELPHIA (July 29, 2010) - - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic region today awarded a $100,000 grant to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to train 70 health care professionals and 100 families how to manage asthma to reduce asthma attacks.

“The mid-Atlantic region has a high asthma rate - - especially in urban areas,” said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “EPA is proud to support Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in training its health care workers on how to help families deal with the challenge of asthma management.”

The training will stress the importance of integrating environmental management into asthma care by educating families on how to identify and reduce exposure of indoor environmental asthma triggers. The training will take place during the next two years.

“EPA’s funding will help us offer our community pediatricians specialized asthma training on ways to avoiding allergens,” said Tyra Bryant-Stephens, M.D., director and founder of the Community Asthma Prevention Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “This program will enable The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to provide more comprehensive care to families whose children have asthma.”

Nationwide, about 23 million people, including 6.9 million children, have asthma. Asthma in children results in 7 million physician visits, nearly 200,000 hospitalizations, and 13 million missed school days each year.

Asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Although there is no cure for asthma yet, asthma is a manageable disease and can be controlled with comprehensive asthma management and preventive care.

To learn how to reduce your asthma triggers, see our mid-Atlantic regional website at: https://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/asthma/asthma.htm

People can also join the On-line Community in Action for Asthma-Friendly Environments Network at www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org to learn about community-based organizations with information, resources, and strategies to accelerate improvements in asthma care.