Charlotte-Mecklenburg is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that require that
all school staff members receive training on recognizing and responding to severe
asthma symptoms that require immediate action, as a part of annual staff development.
Activities
- Provide asthma education, via school nurses, using the asthma training video
Asthma 911 to more than 85 percent of all school district staff.
- Provide training to grades 4–6 classroom and physical education teachers in 25
percent of elementary schools and 25 percent of middle schools on the Asthma On
Wheels (AOW) asthma awareness classroom curriculum. The training module for AOW
includes the American Lung Association’s Asthma 101 program, AOW train-the-trainer
course, and staff implementation of AOW lessons with students, including a post-course
questionnaire.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg is seeking to increase the percentage
of schools that identify students with poorly controlled asthma by keeping track of
them in at least three of the following ways:
- Frequent absences from school.
- Frequent visits to the school health office due to asthma.
- Frequent asthma symptoms at school.
- Frequent nonparticipation in physical education class due to asthma.
- Students sent home early due to asthma.
- Calls from school to 911 or other local emergency numbers due to asthma.
Activities
- Assess students’ level of need (high, medium, or low) for asthma services within
17 schools, and provide referrals for school nurse asthma case management for students
with asthma who are identified as medium or high need.
- Increase self-management skills for students with asthma by providing the
Open Airways asthma management program in 85 percent of all elementary schools.
- Pilot the American Lung Association’s asthma management program Kickin’ Asthma
in two middle schools and two high schools for students with asthma.
- Develop and maintain asthma action plans for all students identified with asthma.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that provide
intensive case management for students with poorly controlled asthma at school. These
intensive services should include all of the following:
- Providing referrals to primary healthcare clinicians or child health insurance programs.
- Ensuring an appropriate written asthma action plan is obtained.
- Ensuring access to and appropriate use of asthma medications, spacers, and peak flow meters at school.
- Offering asthma education for the student with asthma and his/her family.
- Minimizing asthma triggers in the school environment.
- Addressing social and emotional issues related to asthma.
- Providing additional psychosocial counseling or support services as needed.
- Ensuring access to safe, enjoyable physical education and activity.
- Ensuring access to preventive medications before physical activity.
Activities
- Provide 75 percent of all schools with parent/family asthma education in all
six Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) regional Learning Communities through
collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Asthma Coalition and CMS Parent University.
- In collaboration with government and community organizations, provide a
community awareness event on environmental health issues that affect learning
environments for youth with asthma.
