Asthma Education

Asthma is a complicated, chronic, potentially life-threatening disease whose rates have increased dramatically over the past decade. The good news is that with consistent, appropriate asthma management, including guidance from your doctor, people can live well with asthma and even be Olympic caliber athletes!

In fact, local Junior Olympian Jaxin Woodward is an inspiring example of how a child diagnosed with severe asthma can control it in order to compete nationally in track.  Her story was shown in an ABC News video interview, "Jaxin Run! 

The Health Promotion and Community Wellness Bureau has been concerned with asthma issues even before the state published its 2001 health survey results identifying Solano County as having the highest rate of asthma in the state, (14.1% asthma symptom prevalence.)

This page offers information and resources only. Currently, the Health Promotion and Community Wellness Bureau does not have funding for asthma education services.

In the past, the Health Promotion and Community Wellness Bureau sought and received funding to implement countywide asthma prevention education activities including media campaigns and seminars for medical providers and their frontline staff. Our Bureau will continue to advocate for resources, including grant funding, to devote to this critical issue.

The Bureau's Health Education Manager is among the founding members of the Solano Asthma Coalition (SAC) and continues to actively participate.
SOLANO ASTHMA COALITION
Solano Asthma Coalition (SAC) is a multidisciplinary coalition that has been meeting regularly since 2001. In 2002, SAC was selected as one of 12 coalitions in the state awarded major funding from The California Endowment's Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) Initiative. SAC's fiscal agent is Children's Network.
SAC Mission
Our mission is to reduce the burden of asthma and improve the quality of life for people with asthma and their families in Solano County.

Through collaboration with healthcare providers, policymakers, educators and community members, SAC intends to:
  • Raise the awareness of people with asthma and their families about the goals of asthma treatment, strategies to control asthma and
  • Change the institutional, environmental, cultural and individual factors that influence the incidence, prevalence and severity of asthma in Solano County.
Educational and treatment projects focus on school-aged children and have been designed through a strategic planning process.
COALITION ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  • Developed school procedures used in every district in the county for managing children with asthma.
  • Created the "Asthma Tool Kit" for schools, a resource with procedures to promote ongoing communication among students, parents, school nurses, teachers and healthcare providers. The kits were distributed to all school nurses in Solano County.
  • Generated donations from pharmaceutical companies of 285 peak flow meters/ aerochambers, 525 spacers and 2,125 mouthpieces for the 89 school sites. These items, included in the "Asthma Tool Kit" for schools, were distributed to school nurses in March 2003. The donation had a retail value of $35,000.
  • Created movie slides for Fairfield, Vacaville and Vallejo theaters that gave information about SAC along with messages to reduce pollution by carpooling and by curtailing wood smoke.
  • Provided educational presentations on asthma to child care workers.
  • Offered free asthma trainings for public and private child care providers
  • Developed and disseminated interactive educational handout in English and Spanish for parents of high-risk children who have not yet been diagnosed with asthma.
  • Collaborated with Kaiser Permanente to produce an educational asthma program that included performances of "Arrr-sthma" in 15 elementary schools.
  • Encouraged and acted as a resource to help Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District adopt their Indoor Air Quality Policy. 
  • Created "Care for the Air" badge program for Girl Scouts.
  • Developed "Spare the Air" banner program for elementary schools.
  • Offered Free In-Home Asthma Trigger Surveys. 
  • Provided educational materials for many local institutions, programs and events including: Solano County's Clinical Nutrition Program; Partnership HealthPlan; Napa/Solano Head Start; Children's Network; community health fairs; and landscape nurseries regarding low-allergy plants.
  • Organized trainings for Asthma Community Advocates, Medical Front Office staff, WIC, Child Start, Inc. and other agencies.
  • Policy work included education and advocacy on local wood-burning ordinances, liquid natural gas (LNG) plants, school bus idling, zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) and mega-dairies.
SAC Members
SAC does not serve clients directly, but community members interested in fighting the burden of asthma in Solano County are welcome to join the coalition.
SAC  Steering Committee
Marie Fortier, RN
Barbara Langham, RN
SAC Member Organizations
American Lung Association of the East Bay
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Benicia Unified School District
Breathe California
California Teachers Association
Child Start, Inc.
Children's Network of Solano
Dixon Unified School District
Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association
Kaiser Permanente
La Clinica de La Raza, Inc.
NorthBay Healthcare
Partnership HealthPlan of California
Regional Asthma Management Prevention (RAMP)
Solano County Health & Social Services, Public Health
Solano County Office of Education
Vacaville Unified School District
Vallejo City Unified School District
Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District

Individuals
Guillermo Mendoza, MD
Allan Plutchok, MD
Chad I. Tarter, MD
Arthur Camargo
Da'Fona McClain Jackson
Contacts
Barbara Langham, RN  [email protected]
Susan White  [email protected]
Resources
Regional Asthma Management & Prevention - RAMP
American Lung Association of California - ALA
Centers for Disease Control - Asthma