May is the Month for Asthma

April 30, 2013

May is a great month to renew your commitment to asthma, as we mark National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month and World Asthma Day on the 7th.

Media will be looking for stories to cover, so give them a call and invite them out to your facility to see all the good things you’re doing to help asthma patients breathe easier. Then take a few moments to review all the asthma-related resources available to you through the AARC as well.

As you can see, we have an impressive array of programs, from those aimed at boosting your own knowledge of asthma, to those designed to help your organization gain recognition for its asthma education programs, to those you can use to reach out to your community—

• Asthma Prep Course: This online course covers all the information you need to help your patients and prepare for the Asthma Educator-Certified exam at the same time.
• ARCF/EPA Asthma Courses: Asthma triggers, allergy testing, and smoking cessation are covered here.
• Guide to Aerosol Delivery Devices for Respiratory Therapists: Get up-to-speed on the nebulizers, MDIs, and DPIs your patients use to treat their asthma.
• Patient’s Guide to Aerosol Drug Delivery: Hand this guide out to your patients and families who are dealing with asthma.
• Asthma Self-Management Education (ASME): This program can put an official stamp of approval on your asthma program, making it easier to market the program to patients, physicians, and even third party payors.
• Asthma Disease Management Roundtable: Hosted on AARConnect, this group is open to all AARC members at no extra charge and provides a wonderful way to tap into the expertise of your colleagues in asthma care across the nation and around the world.
• YourLungHealth.Org: Our consumer website has lots of asthma-related information you can share with your patients.
• Allergy & Asthma Health: Our online consumer magazine features informative stories written especially for asthma and allergy patients by AARC members.
• Peak Performance USA: With a wealth of online resources, this program has everything you need to partner with local schools for asthma education.
• Public Relations Tools: These great tools offer step-by-step instructions on getting media coverage for your events. 

National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month is sponsored by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and World Asthma Day is hosted every year by the Global Initiative for Asthma. Both organizations also have lots of great resources you can use to raise asthma awareness.

Also noteworthy is the 16th Annual Capitol Hill Day held by the Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics. On May 9, they will be holding a briefing and free screenings at the Rayburn House Office Building, featuring Apolo Anton Ohno as keynote speaker.