Philadelphia Asthma Action

Institutional partners: Thomas Jefferson University Department of Family Medicine; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Program partners: Community Asthma Prevention Program of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CAPP)

Public organizations: School District of Philadelphia; Philadelphia Department of Public Health

Nonprofit organizations: Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC)

The targeted project areas for the Philadelphia Asthma Project are West, South, Northwest and Lower Northwest Philadelphia, where 70% (269,639) of the city's children between the ages of 0-17 reside.

• 37% of the total population has incomes at or below 150% of the poverty level
• 47% of 5-13 yr olds with asthma in the target area made at least one emergency room visit in 2004, compared to15% of 5-13 yr olds without asthma
• In 2004, 28.9% of 5-13 yr. olds in the target area had asthma compared with a national rate of about 14% for children 5-11 years

At the end of the four year grant, Philadelphia Asthma Action expects the following outcomes:

• Increased integration of services
• Increased control of pediatric asthma in the targeted area
• Decreased school absenteeism due to asthma related illness

Objective 1: Improve access to and quality of asthma health care for children

• Increase care coordination to children with severe asthma through the Child Asthma LinkLine, a central point of access to asthma care integration.  Care coordination includes referrals for primary care, community asthma education classes, home visits for environmental assessments, and support services including smoking cessation
• Improve education for medical professionals by implementing PACE trainings, distributing Asthma Action Plans and disseminating information on asthma severity classification
• Conduct door-to-door asthma screening using the Brief Pediatric Asthma Screen; refer children to Link Line services when appropriate

Sample process/outcome measures: # of physicians self reporting use of Asthma Action Plan; # of physicians attending sessions and completing pre/post knowledge surveys; prevalence estimates intargeted neighborhoods

Objective 2: Improve knowledge about asthma among affected individuals and the general public

• Improve self management among children with asthma by conducting Open Airways at school and community sites,  providing consistent asthma management messages through CAPP home visits based on ICAS, and You Can Control Asthma education classes in the community
• Improve retention in asthma education programs through follow up phone calls by LinkLine
• Increase public awareness to help create supportive environments for asthma management using school and community Asthma Awareness Days, and making all community partners aware of asthma education class schedules

Sample process/outcome measures: # of home visits conducted and families reached; # of triggers identified and % reduced; pre/post testing of asthma knowledge

Objective 3: Make schools and communities more asthma friendly

• Using the Brief Pediatric Asthma Screen, identify children with asthma in schools and link them to services through the Child Asthma Link Line 
• Increase knowledge and awareness of asthma among school teachers, students,  and parents through workshops in schools, Asthma Awareness Days, Asthma Kid Clubs, and Open Airways sessions.
• Distribute Asthma Action Plans (AAP) to school nurses and encourage their appropriate use.

Sample process/outcome measures: # attending school asthma classes; # of new Asthma Clubs and students enrolled; # of AAPs on file at schools

Objective 4: Promote asthma-safe homes

• Home visits include a modified version of the ICAS intervention to eliminate or control allergens and irritants within the home, asthma education and management skills.
• Coordinate public, parent, family and child education efforts through the Link Line.

Sample process/outcome measures: # of home visits conducted, families reached; satisfaction with LinkLine services survey

The Philadelphia MCAN project is committed to providing asthma services to its target communities that are responsive and culturally appropriate.  One key partner, the Community Asthma Prevention (CAPP) program has had success in recruiting parents that have participated in CAPP programs to act as peer educators and outreach workers.  One of the newly hired home visitors for the MCAN project is a graduate of CAPP’s Asthma Classes and Home Visit program.  She brings valuable insight to her job regarding beliefs and challenges faced by the community and a unique ability to relate to and develop a rapport with her clients. 

The Child Asthma Link Line has been recognized nationally for its innovative care coordination system. In October 2006, the Link Line was the national grand prizewinner of the 2006 Nemours Vision Awards for Excellence in Child Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.   In January 2006, the Asthma Link Line was one of six programs nationally to receive a Premier Cares National Finalist Award.