Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program Newsletter #54 May is Asthma Awareness Month Take Action


Connector E-Newsletter#54: May is Asthma Awareness Month - Take Action!
June 12, 2013
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools
IN THIS ISSUE:
~	Controlling Asthma in Schools through Comprehensive Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management
~	News and Events
~	Asthma Resources
~	Get Answers to Your Questions
CONTROLLING ASTHMA IN SCHOOLS
THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE INDOOR AIR
QUALITY (IAQ) MANAGEMENT
Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in the United
States and the number of people with asthma continues
to grow. Over 25 million Americans, including seven
million children, have asthma, and it is a leading cause of
absenteeism in schools.
Schools that have a comprehensive IAQ management
program that includes a robust asthma management
component are better equipped to create healthy learning
environments for all students and staff. Effective IAQ
management in schools helps improve the school
environment, protect children's health and reduce exposure
to environmental asthma triggers like mold and secondhand
smoke.
Include Asthma Strategies in Your School's IAQ
Managment Program
To address environmental health risks comprehensively, an
IAQ management program must address asthma, as IAQ
and asthma are inextricably linked. EPA's Framework for
Effective IAQ Management contains programmatic strategies
and technical solutions to help school leaders develop an IAQ
management program and address common IAQ concerns.
It can also help school leaders develop a sustainable asthma
management plan that addresses asthma in a measurable
and intentional way.
Test Your IAQ Management
Knowledge...
1. What actions can health care
professionals take to address indoor
air quality (IAQ) and asthma in
schools?
A.	Communicate with facilities staff,
school officials, administrators, parents
and students about school policies on
environmental health issues.
B.	Adopt school policies that require
every student with asthma to have an
asthma action plan.
C.	Encourage parents to make school
personnel aware of their child's asthma or
allergy condition.
D.	Provide trainings and educational
information to school staff, teachers and
students on the importance of addressing
environmental health issues.
E.	All of the above.
Find answers to these and other
questions on the Schools IAQ Connector
Email Discussion List!

-------
The Components of an Asthma Management Plan
Schools with strong asthma management plans help create
safe and supportive learning environments for students with
asthma. An asthma management plan should include policies
and procedures that allow students to successfully manage
their asthma at school, including policies on the use of inhalers
and other medication, as well as emergency procedures for
asthma attacks. As part of the plan, each student with asthma
should have an asthma action plan from their parents or doctor
that outlines the student's triggers, medications and emergency
contact information. Effective asthma management programs
also have a strong evaluation component to help schools
evaluate their successes and identify ways to improve, and
involve the entire school community, including administrators,
teachers, facilities staff and other school leaders.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
has identified six strategies for schools and districts to
consider when addressing asthma. The components of "CDC's
Strategies for Addressing Asthma within a Coordinated School
Health Program," described below, form the foundation for an
effective asthma management plan.
1. Establish management and support systems for
asthma-friendly schools.
2. Provide appropriate school health and mental health
services for students with asthma.
3. Provide asthma education and awareness programs for
students and school staff.
4. Provide a safe and healthy school environment to reduce
asthma triggers.
5. Provide safe, enjoyable physical education and activity opportunities for students with asthma.
6. Coordinate school, family and community efforts to better manage asthma symptoms and reduce school
absences among students with asthma.
For both IAQ and asthma management programs, strong evaluation data are critical to measure program
success. Measuring key student health indicators, such as the number of incidents of asthma attacks,
headaches, coughs, fevers and itchy eyes, can help identify areas within the school building that may contain
IAQ issues or asthma triggers. Gathering these data over time can help improve school attendance rates and
academic success and make it easier to demonstrate the benefits of IAQ and asthma management to school
administrators and the community.
"The Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) takes a proactive approach to managing asthma by
working closely with school nurses, parents, healthcare providers and other school leaders to identify
students with asthma and effectively track their symptoms and asthma incidence rates. By having an IAQ
management program with a strong asthma management component, RSD has been able to address
environmental triggers and improve the quality of life of students with asthma."
- Marilyn Hammett, MSN, RN, Coordinator of Health Services, Louisiana Recovery School District,
New Orleans, Louisiana
Join today by sending a blank email
message to schools_iaq_connector-
subscribe@lists.epa.gov. Then check
your email inbox for confirmation and
membership details.
Access Previous Connector
E-Newsletters Online
Can't find a previous IAQ Tools for
Schools Connector e-newsletter in your
inbox? No problem! Visit the e-newsletter
archive on the IAQ Tools for Schools
website to access printable versions
(PDFs) of all past editions.

-------
"A school's IAQ does impact the health of students and staff. Poor IAQ can lead to increased allergy
symptoms, asthma attacks, headaches and overall discomfort, which can impact student learning and
academic achievement. To create a green and healthy learning environment, IAQ must be addressed and
effectively managed. Take action to ensure your school has effective strategies in place to properly manage
asthma and IAQ. Get started with EPA's Framework for Effective IAQ Management and Action Kit."
- Dr. Larry K. Lowry, Director of Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health & Director of
Graduate Programs in Environmental Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Texas
NEWS AND EVENTS
• National Association of Schools Nurses (NASN) Annual Conference will take place June 27 - 30,
2013, in Orlando, Florida, Get more information on this event! Already attending? Check out EPA's session:
Unleash your Superpower: Creating Healthy School Indoor Environments — Call to Action for School Nurses
on Friday, June 28, 2013, from 1-2 p.m. ET. This session will highlight strategies and resources that school
nurses can use to implement a successful environmental health management program in their school. Also
during this conference, school nurses participating in the Managing Asthma Triggers (MAT) training will receive
comprehensive course notes, asthma-related resources and information about how to become an indoor school
environment champion.
• Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments Webinar Series. EPA's Office of Children's Health
webinar series wili outline sensible, low- or no-cost steps that school communities can take to create healthier
environments in their buildings. Check out the webinar schedule to learn more. Register today for the June 18,
2013, webinar: "The Role of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Creating Healthy Learning Environments."
ASTHMA RESOURCES
Access the following resources to help you incorporate asthma management
efforts into your overall IAQ management program:
EPA's Managing Asthma in Schools. This guide offers valuable information
for all school employees, especially school nurses, teachers and
maintenance staff, on how to identify and control environmental triggers
commonly found in schools.
EPA's Help Your Child Gain Control Over Asthma. This brochure, available
in both English and Spanish, offers tips on how to manage asthma and
simple steps to minimize exposure to asthma triggers found indoors and
outside.
• View EPA's Air Quality Index and download the free mobile application to
determine how clean or polluted the outdoor air is in your area, and what
associated health effects might be a concern for you, including asthma.
National Association of School Nurses (NASN)'s Asthma Online Tool Kit
offers resources and information about asthma, including basic information
about the disease and resources for families, children and schools.

-------
• American Lung Association's Resources for Asthma in Schools:
Open Airways For Schools.
Lungtropolis™: Where Kids with Asthma Learn to Play.
•	Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative.
Guide to Asthma Policy for Housing & Schools.
•	Asthma Educator Institute.
•	Asthma Basics.
GET ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
Is there a topic you want to see covered in an IAQ Tools for Schools Connector e-newsletter? Do you have
suggestions for a webinar or e-newsletter feature, or do you have questions about a specific IAQ topic? If
so, send us an email at IAQTfSConnector@cadmusgroup.com.
Share YOUR news and events! Send us information to share with the school IAQ community. It could
be featured in the next Connector e-newsletter. Email your news and events to IAQTfSConnector@
cadmusgroup.com.
The IAQ Tools for Schools guidance is a comprehensive resource designed to help schools maintain a
healthy environment in school buildings by identifying, correcting and preventing IAQ problems. Learn
more about the IAQ Tools for Schools guidance at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

-------