(September 1, 2001) — In the coming school year, nurses at schools throughout San Diego County will have a new tool to fight asthma: the San Diego County Asthma Resource Directory. For the first time the Directory offers a comprehensive way for parents and professionals to find help with asthma issues. The Directory was developed by the San Diego Allies Against Asthma Coalition, a group of more than 30 health care providers, community organizations (including the Association) and Healthlink, a project of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.
An increasing number of San Diego's children are affected by asthma, though school nurses report that sometimes parents are not aware that asthma is causing their children's symptoms. Swift connection to the wide range of resources that are needed to address pediatric asthma can help reduce school absences and parents' heartache. Effective management of asthma will ensure that these students are in school, healthy and ready to learn.
"The school nurse is a valuable link in the health care chain, teaching parents and children how to recognize warning signs of an asthma episode and what to do," says Sandy Wright, a nurse at Benchley Weinberger Elementary School and the Project Nurse Manager for San Diego City Schools Nursing Office. "But many school nurses are new to the area and don't have the time to find their own resources." Last fall, 25 of the 60 nurses attending Wright's training sessions were new to the area.
The new Resource Directory will be mailed to every school nurse in the County, and the Asthma Coalition is seeking funds for still wider distribution. The Directory is not just a list of health care providers. It names a range of specific services especially for asthma, and also offers a geographic index.
Asthma services include education, management, health care services, outreach opportunities, research studies, and support organizations. The Directory also provides information on health insurance, smoking cessation, language translation, asthma books and magazines, environmental control, indoor air quality, national organizations, and Internet sites. Though focused on resources for children, many of the organizations listed offer services to all age groups.
The Asthma Coalition will seek underwriting to distribute the Directory to community clinics, community based organizations, and other health providers. Plans are underway to place the Directory on the Association's website, www.lungsandiego.org.
Organizations or health advocates that would like to be members of the Coalition, would like to be included in a future Directory, or would like a copy of the Directory can contact Amelia Barile Simon at 619-297-3901.
