See calendar for currently scheduled workshops

Before students can begin to effectively manage their asthma, they first have to understand what asthma is and how it affects them. "What is Asthma?" introduces students in grades one through eight to the basics of asthma through a 45-minute interactive presentation featuring a pig lung exploration as an engaging way to help students understand lung function. In addition to defining what asthma is, "What is Asthma?" also teaches students how to recognize warning signs and identify common triggers of an asthma attack. Students in the class without asthma also learn and can advocate for their classmates that suffer from symptoms. This popular program has been conducted 27 times during the 2004-2005 school year and reached 1,968 participants, 3,037 in the 2005-2006 school year. Students pre and post test scores showed an average improvement of 9.5%.

Parents are instrumental in promoting their children’s awareness of asthma and ensuring that their children receive appropriate care. Often taught during parent-teacher groups and community and faith based meetings, Parents as Asthma Managers is a class that strengthens communication between doctors and parents of children with asthma by teaching parents to ask the appropriate questions. This workshop was presented 13 times in 2004-2005 and 16 times in 2005-2006 reaching over 600 parents.

In addition to parents; doctors and school staff members are also key to the strong social support network necessary to help students manage their asthma appropriately. As a way of serving the needs of this critical link in a child’s support system, the "School Staff Workshop" equips the school staff with such pertinent asthma knowledge as warning signs of asthma attacks, common side effects of asthma medications, appropriate action to take during an asthma attack, and ways to reduce classroom triggers of asthma attacks. Each participant receives a packet of useful resources and educational materials. The "School Staff Workshop" reached 308 participants in 2004, 461 in 2005, and 683 in the first six months of 2006.

A central part of making school staff sufficiently responsive to the needs of students with asthma is showing them how to moderate asthma triggers in the first place by ensuring a definitive standard of indoor air quality. Using low-cost common sense activities, programs such as Tools for Schools helps school staff ensure a healthy and productive learning environment, showing staff how to implement EPA recommendations for improving indoor air quality through presentations and site visits. Each environmental workshop is tailored to meet the needs of the request.

As a result of funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, the Marion County Health Department and Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County completed two years of asthma education in after-school and lunch settings. This collaboration has allowed education of asthmatic students with the American Lung Association’s Open Airways program. A total of 22 schools and 142 children were served. Pre and post tests revealed an average increase in scores from 69.6% to 86.1%. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Through Open Airways, students develop confidence in managing their asthma proactively. Student’s participate in asthma related role-playing and meet in small groups with a facilitator as a way of becoming comfortable with managing their asthma in the school setting. A respiratory therapist also provides close instruction about proper use of inhalers and peak flow meters. Parents are encouraged to become involved with take-home assignments and graduation ceremonies. Open Airways has been shown to reduce school absenteeism without interrupting the normal school day.