August 2010
Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago's e-newsletter is published monthly and contains news of our happenings, program updates and links to lung health resources.
This month's issue includes:- Back to school with asthma
- FAN program nationally recognized
- Support grows to clean up Fisk and Crawford
- Get Involved: Hike for Lung Health
To receive our monthly e-newsletter, send an email to info@lungchicago.org.
Back to school with asthma
Gov. Quinn is expected to sign RHAMC-sponsored legislation this month that will allow children to carry and administer their asthma inhalers at school without a note from a doctor. Students will be able to use their quick-relief inhalers as long as they submit a prescription label and a note from a parent or guardian.
To ensure that your child can carry and self-administer asthma medications, please save his or her original inhaler package with the prescription label on it. You will also need to contact your child's school to receive a medical consent form.
Click here to see more tips on going back to school with asthma.
FAN program nationally recognized
National Asthma Campaign Foundation recently recognized Respiratory Health Association's Fight Asthma Now (FAN) program as a national leader in effective school-based asthma management.
Throughout the school year, our FAN educators travel to schools throughout Chicagoland to teach children and teens how to manage and care for their asthma. FAN classes give students the knowledge and skills they need to identify and avoid triggers, manage asthma episodes and control asthma on a long-term basis.
Click here to see the press release.
Support grows to clean up Fisk and Crawford
Respiratory Health Association has been working alongside other community partners for years to clean up the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants. Located in Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, Fisk and Crawford spew 5 million metric tons of air pollution each year, which has been linked to an annual 2,800 asthma attacks, 550 emergency room visits and 40 deaths.
Last week, Alderman Ricardo Muñoz (22nd), whose ward contains Crawford power station, signed on as a co-sponsor of a proposed ordinance that will set strong pollution limits on the power plants. His support of the ordinance was highlighted in a recent New York Times article, which provides further insight into clean-up efforts made over the past 10 years.
Send an email to Ald. Muñoz thanking him for his support, or learn more on our Power Plant page.
Get Involved: Hike for Lung Health
Join us October 3 for the fourth annual Hike for Lung Health in Chicago's Lincoln Park or Palatine's Deer Grove. Teams of families, friends and coworkers walk 1 or 3 miles around the park and enjoy an afternoon of activities to raise funds and awareness for lung health.
This family-friendly event is hosted by Respiratory Health Association and supports ten lung health charities, including ARDS Foundation, chILD Foundation and Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
For more information or to register, visit the official Hike for Lung Health site.
