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Children's National Recognizes World Asthma Day

Washington, DC—World Asthma Day (WAD) will be held on May 1, 2012, to raise awareness about asthma and breathing problems around the world. WAD is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, a collaborative project of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases, with an estimated 300 million individuals affected worldwide. Its prevalence is increasing, especially among children.

Asthma rates in the District of Columbia are higher than the national average – in fact, 10,000 of the District's children under the age of 18 have asthma. Children’s National Medical Center manages and supports many programs to help children in the metropolitan region who suffer from asthma, and a major focal point is preventing the need for children to go to the emergency room.

The IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic at Children’s National, an emergency department-based asthma care source, treats children for episodic care, providing a comprehensive source of asthma education, medical care and care coordination designed to steer children toward healthier lives and more effective primary asthma care.

Additionally, Kohl’s Community Asthma Program at Children’s National is a community health, education, outreach and medical care initiative that enables families to better manage asthma and decrease their children’s asthma-related symptoms. The program also offers high-risk families personalized and culturally sensitive clinic-based medical care focusing on effective use of controller medications and reduction of environmental triggers to reduce severe asthma symptoms.

Kohl’s has been raising funds for Children’s National since 1997. Their efforts have contributed more than $4.7 million to Kohl’s Community Asthma Program as well as Children’s National’s Mobile Health Program, PICU, and other critical areas.

More information about World Asthma Day can be found here.

Contact: Erin Corcoran, 301-565-8523

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