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Asthma Enters the Spotlight in May

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April 30, 2014

National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

Respiratory therapists play a key role in the care of patients with asthma, and there’s no better time to highlight that role than in the month of May. We’ll be celebrating National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month all month long, and with World Asthma Day taking center stage on Tuesday, the 6th, that’s double the opportunity to put asthma in the spotlight in your communities.

So take a look at our Public Relations Tools and consider how you can use them to reach out to your local media with asthma-related story ideas. With asthma affecting 18.7 million adults and 6.8 million children in this country nearly all of them will be planning to cover the month and day, and there’s no reason why respiratory therapists can’t be the health care professionals to deliver the message.

As you think about asthma and how your role as a therapist comes into play, you might also want to take advantage of some great asthma-related resources right here at the AARC too. Here’s our top ten list—

  1. Our Asthma Prep Course is designed specifically to help RTs pass the Asthma Educator-Certified exam, and along the way you’ll learn lots of valuable information you can implement in your asthma programs as well.
  2. Sign up for the Asthma Prep Course this year and you’ll also have free access to two ARCF/EPA Asthma Courses on asthma triggers, allergy testing, and smoking cessation.
  3. Peak Performance USA has all the resources you need to go into your local elementary, middle, and high schools to educate school staff, parents, and kids about taking care of asthma during the school day.
  4. The third edition of our Guide to Aerosol Delivery Devices for Respiratory Therapists contains the latest information on the nebulizers, MDIs, and DPIs your patients use to treat their asthma. It’s free for AARC members and you can even earn CRCE credits by taking a post test.
  5. Help your patients better understand their aerosol devices by supplying them with a copy of our Patient's Guide to Aerosol Drug Delivery. The guide is in its second edition and has all the latest information.
  6. If you’re involved in an asthma management program in your facility, our Asthma Self-Management Education (ASME) may be the official stamp of approval you need to market the program to patients, physicians, and even third party payors.
  7. Sign up for our Asthma Disease Management Roundtable on AARConnect to network with your fellow members who are involved in asthma or want to get involved. Available at no extra cost to members, it’s a great place to tap into some of the best minds on asthma management anywhere around.
  8. YourLungHealth.Org is full of useful information and advice on asthma you can share with your patients—or just direct them to the site and let them explore at their leisure.
  9. Our online consumer magazine, Allergy & Asthma Health, is published on a quarterly basis and features great articles written especially for patients and families by AARC members. Check it out and then provide your patients with a link to sign up.
  10. You and your colleagues can find some wonderful educational programs on asthma in our Webcast Archives too.

Need more resources? 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 offer a wealth of information and materials you can use to plan your asthma activities this May.