Why have we supported Lung Power’s Youth Program? Simple… Asthma. The reason for The Walker Johnson & Nasia Legacy Foundation formation and why Lung Power Youth Program received the 2016 Nasia Legacy Health Grant.
Lung Power’s curriculum places a special emphasis on increasing awareness about the California Self-Administered Asthma Medication Law, which allows students with asthma to carry and self-administer their prescribed asthma medication at school.
Under this new focus, Lung Power improves parent knowledge on managing their child’s asthma at school, thus empowering parents to advocate for their child’s appropriate Asthma Care Plan when their child transitions to elementary school.
Lung Power’s Asthma Education Workshops Focus On:
- Trigger recognition
- Asthma symptom and medication management
- California Self-Administration Medication Law
- Health advocacy and self-management skills
By increasing knowledge about childhood asthma and asthma management, families become the ultimate advocate for their child’s health through BREATHE LA’s Lung Power asthma program.
Why does all this matter?
- Asthma can intervene in your child’s daily and physical activities. However, symptom management and knowledge of child’s asthma medication will empower you to effectively control your child’s asthma, resulting in overall greater lung health so that your child can lead a full and active life.
- Asthma can also disrupt your child’s participation in the classroom, prevent your child from attending school, and ultimately limit his or her academic achievement. However, by learning what triggers your child’s asthma attacks and how to reduce your child’s exposure to those triggers, you prevent asthma attacks from occurring while allowing your child to successfully obtain an education and decreasing absenteeism.
- Effective communication with your child’s doctor is vital for getting the best asthma treatment for your child. Your child’s doctor can accurately diagnose and prescribe the most effective and safest asthma medications to treat your child’s asthma. Thus, your child’s doctor will be an important resource guide as you create and manage your child’s unique asthma care plan and Individual Health Plan (IHP) to control their symptoms.
- As you gain a greater awareness of the school policies and procedures related to asthma in schools, your awareness and compliance with those policies will assign responsibilities and establish ongoing teamwork and communication between your family and school staff and among staff members. By learning about compliant asthma management through your Head Start program, you will become more familiar and confident in being able to navigate and comply with asthma-related policies and procedures when your child transitions to elementary school. As a result, you can improve school readiness and ensure that your child’s school is equipped to meet your child’s health needs.
The Nasia Legacy Health Grant has supported the Lung Power Youth Program and its mission will directly impact the quality of life of a child in California.