Asthma 411--addition of a consulting physician to enhance school health.

摘要

The urban school district described comprised 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The student body is predominantly African American (95%, 75% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals (Table 1, and approximately 12% of the students are identified as having asthma. The total enrollment reported by the district for the 2004-2005 academic school year is 8583 children in kindergarten through 12th grade, with a nurse-to-student ratio of 1:621.The Asthma 411 Initiative was developed as part of a grant to the St. Louis Regional Asthma Consortium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC entitled "Controlling Asthma in American Cities Project/ Controlling Asthma in St. Louis." The school district described in this case study was the initial pilot school district during the planning phase of the grant and continues to participate through implementation. This community-based, multiorganizational and multi-institutional project focuses on components identified as important to the overall care of a person with asthma in our community. The community of focus is historically underserved with high disparities in morbidity and mortality due to asthma. The title "Asthma 411" is derived from the now antiquated telephone information system, and a slang term now common among the target population and known among the school nurses. The initiative's name gives nurses, and potentially students, a name that is memorable and evocative of information and knowledge.