Children’s National Recognizes World Asthma Day
May 01, 2012
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
About Children's National Health System
Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation’s children since 1870. Children’s National is one of the nation’s Top 5 pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution in the nation. Children’s National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.
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