It is estimated that a half-million New Yorkers
now suffer from Asthma, a chronic, incurable illness. The
city has the worst asthma rate in the nation, with hospitalization
rates that triple the national average; 35,000 New Yorkers
are hospitalized each year for severe asthma attacks; and
children between the ages of 0-14 years from low-income communities
are five times more likely to be hospitalized. CWHA’s
Asthma Outreach and Education Program is funded by the New
York City Council through the initiative of councilmember
Una Clark, and is a point effort between CWHA and Kings County
Hospital.
The program is in response to the impact of
Asthma on children in North Central Brooklyn, one of the areas
disproportionately affected by the condition. The goal of
the program is to reduce excessive hospitalizations and absences
from school due to asthma among children. It works with parents
of children with asthma, teachers and day care providers to
provide information about asthma, its management and treatment.
The following is a sample of the feedback CWHA
received from participants in the Asthma Program:
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| CWHA at local Day Care Center |
Dear Caribbean Women’s Health Association:
We the parents of the family room at Public School 361 are
all very pleased with the series of workshops on the topics
Asthma and Parenting; they were very helpful and informative
and we all benefited greatly from them. Some of the parents
wanted to contribute specific things they learned from the
workshops. For example: • Sharon learned that the medication
Cromolyn is used to reduce swelling during an asthma attack,
that Tylenol is the best medicine to administer to children
with asthma, and that it is important to ask questions about
medication when seeing a doctor. • Nyasha learned about
the different household products that you should or should
not use if you have asthma, and the different positions to
place children with asthma while sleeping. • Bridgette
learned about the various harmful chemicals that should not
be used with an asthmatic child, that Robitussin is not good
for a child who has asthma, and the things you need to use
on household pets and on carpets to prevent attacks. •
Lorraine learned that it is important to ask a lot of questions
to doctors, to ensure that the child receives a full examination
while visiting the doctor, and to bring a family member who
can translate if you cannot speak English.• Priscilla
learned about the different procedures to follow when someone
is having an asthma attack and became better informed about
the subject of Asthma.