Asthma Resources

Mission Statement: “Working to ensure quality asthma treatment, education and resources to the residents of Kitsap County”

Co-Chairs: Wendy Jones & Barbara Smithson

This month the Kitsap Asthma Coalition (KAC) is celebrating its first year anniversary of service to Kitsap County. It started as a workgroup of the Tobacco-Free Kitsap Coalition which has been serving Kitsap since 1993. KAC aims to promote collaboration between organizations and residents concerned about the various factors that effect asthma such as the environment, quality of health care, access to health care and education. KAC is composed of community members representing local MDs, school nurses, clinic nurses, health educators, environmental health workers, insurance company representatives, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, American Lung Association, Native American tribal representatives, local military representatives and local housing authority.

During the summer of 2003, the effort was started with the leadership of Barb Smithson (Second-hand smoker coordinator for KCHD), Wendy Jones RN (School Nurse Corp Supervisor), Marcia Reidel (asthma coordinator for Harrison Hospital), and Dr. Corrales-Diaz, (Pediatric Chair of HMH and practicing Pediatrician). Dr. Corrales-Diaz held a meeting September 11^th, 2004 with Kitsap County Pediatricians and School Nurses to introduce them to the American Academy of Pediatrics “Schooled in Asthma” program which strives for consistency of asthma planning for children.

The Coalition’s first official meeting was October 7^th, and was very well attended. The group agreed to meet monthly, for an hour, on the first Tuesday of the month. The group identified the need for a concentrated local effort to work on the local issues relating to asthma and its environmental triggers, especially second-hand smoke. The group acknowledged the need to network with others in our community working with asthmatic citizens of Kitsap County. The group has continued to meet monthly.

The groups’ first goal was to organize a local asthma resource guide. It was decided to link it to the Kitsap Health Department web page. This was accomplished by February 2004, and it is in a continual process of being updated.

The groups’ second goal was to do a community outreach project. We decided to host a health promotion booth at the Kitsap County Fair. The booth was a joint effort of KAC and Tobacco-Free Kitsap. The main theme was “Blow Bubbles and Not Smoke” The asthma content of the booth emphasized asthma triggers, and included a miniature child’s bed with info on pet dander, dust mites, second-hand smoke, and info on ALAW’s Master Home Environmentalist Program. The display also had a hands-on depiction of an healthy lung vs. an asthmatic lung. We surveyed 60 people about where they felt asthma efforts in Kitsap County should be focused, and were assessed for asthma symptoms. We had a “peak flow” challenge which entailed having booth participants use a peak flow meter, with accompanying info on asthma action plans. We obtained funding from the American Academy of Pediatrics “Schooled in Asthma” program, ALAW, KCHD, Olympic Educational Service District and Peninsula Health. It was very successful and we estimated we had over 800 fair goers participate in our booth’s display.

The KAC has been represented by its members on various state level committees, including, the updating of the Asthma Management in the School manual (which is widely used throughout the state by school nurses), the state Asthma Coalition summits, and the writing of the state asthma plan.

The KAC maintains a mailing list-serve of over 35 members.

As the coalition moves on to its second year of service we have decided to continue our intensive efforts. Our first goal for the year is to write an article in our local newspaper about KAC’s first anniversary. A few of our coalition members will be representing KAC at the state asthma coalition summit and will reproduce the booth displayed at the Kitsap County Fair as a poster session for the summit. The group would also like to plan to participate in the Kitsap County Fair in the summer of 2005.