The Schools Committee of the Sonoma County Asthma Coalition has been working hard over the past year on the planning phase of a two-year grant to implement the Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative (AFSI) in the Roseland School District in Santa Rosa. AFSI is a concept that is being piloted at eight different sites nationwide and is overseen by the national American Lung Association.

The goal of the Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative is to assist local communities and community organizations in planning and implementing comprehensive asthma management programs within their local schools and existing school structure.

Asthma affects one in 10 children in Sonoma County and is the leading cause of school absenteeism and hospitalization due to chronic illness. The Sonoma County Asthma Coalition, under the leadership of the American Lung Association of California—Redwood Empire Branch, was formed to help reduce asthma in the county by reducing the environmental triggers that are linked to asthma.

AFIS is a partnership between the American Lung Association, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Adoeslecent and School Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of School Nurses.

This first year of the program was spent gathering data and information on the 1,400 students in the Roseland District, the staff that work in the district and the supporting systems. The work of assessing needs, determining current capabilities and discovering opportunities to strengthen schools in their ability to care for and manage asthma was accomplished through a district wide survey and focus groups.

As we move into the second year of the project, we look to implement a number of strategies that are a direct reflection of the needs, capacity and opportunities defined in year one.

First on the list of planned activities is an asthma-screening event, which is being held at Roseland School on Saturday, Feb. 5th. Our goal is to screen the more than 120 students—based on survey results—that are “known” to, “probably” or “possibly” have asthma.

The schools committee is also looking at policy and procedural changes that will bring schools in line with recently passed legislation that allows students who meet certain requirements to self-carry asthma medications.

Amid the successful pilot of the Open Airways program in Petaluma—a 6-week instruction and support class offered to students with asthma— the AFSI project will also look to offer these classes to students in the Roseland School District.

There are many more exciting projects on the horizon and the schools committee is looking forward to another rigorous year of activity.

For more information, contact Kate Lorenzen, project director, Sonoma County Asthma Coalition, at 707-527-5864.