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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jane Corrarino, RN, MS, Suffolk County Department of Health, 6 Osprey Lane, Setauket, NY 11733 and Anne Little, Asthma Coalition of Long Island, American Lung Association of NYS, 700 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, NY 11788, 631.265.3848, alittle@alanys.org.

The purpose of this program is to utilize the strengths of a community coalition targeted towards asthma awareness, management, and outcome improvement. The program sought to increase the education of indigent families of children with asthma regarding effective management strategies, and to decrease hospitalizations and emergency department visits by this cohort. Children who have been diagnosed with asthma and have had a hospitalization and/or emergency department visit are referred for home visits by a nurse. The nurse, during the home visits, utilizes computerized health education materials that are designed for those with low-literacy skills. The Asthma Coalition supplied both professional education, resources, and networking for the program. Working with parents, the nurse implements a five-visit teaching protocol. The analysis of this program revealed there was a highly significant statistical reduction in the number of emergency room visits for asthma pre- vs. post care (p = 0.001), and a nearly significant statistical reduction in the number of hospitalizations for asthma pre- and post care (p = 0.068). An in-home asthma education program, when including health education materials that are specifically designed for the target population, demonstrates improvement in both asthma management and control.

Learning Objectives: