News & Events

World Asthma Day

World Asthma Day on May 1st, 2007 was huge success at LAUSD schools. Through collaboration with the Tobacco Use Prevention Education program (TUPE) we were able to educate middle school and high school students about asthma facts.

Asthma Education Expands

District Nursing has been expanding their Comprehensive Asthma program led by Susan LaCombe. In a unique effort to improve our education of students and parents a new position has been created, Teacher Advisor for Asthma Education. This is a joint effort with the Health Education Programs under Dr. Lori Vollandt using the Coordinated School Health model.

We are developing new curriculum for the student education programs; Helping Scott Win! Living Well With Asthma and What About Asthma? We hope to get these programs to the schools by September. We are also developing a resource kit for parent training. Please let us know what you need for educating children and parents. Our goal is to make your job easier and more efficient.

We are happy to welcome Raymond Kohl, a 19 year classroom teacher, to District Nursing. In addition to curriculum development he will be networking with other District programs such as Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) and Physical Education to promote asthma education. Our goal is to educate as many students as possible about asthma, its triggers and its management. To find out how your school can be included in this program contact Raymond Kohl at District Nursing, (213)763-8359.

LAUSD District Nursing Joins ALA's Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative

Asthma is a serious health problem that negatively impacts student learning. The Los Angeles Unified School District and the American Lung Association have a long history of partnership aimed at minimizing the impact. The American Lung Association’s Open Airways, a series of educational and empowering asthma management classes for asthmatic children, continues to be a trademark program within LAUSD classrooms.

Another exciting collaborative is underway to expand the asthma management capacity of LAUSD, the Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative. The American Lung Association of California (ALAC) serving Orange County and the Greater Los Angeles Area was one of ten associations in the nation recently awarded four years of funding by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to lead the Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative. LAUSD was chosen to partner with ALAC because of District Nursing’s comprehensive asthma management spearheaded by Susan LaCombe, Asthma Project Manager with District Nursing. Despite the significant amount of asthma management infrastructure in LAUSD, the District still faces many challenges supporting the high number of asthmatic children. Many factors influence asthma management including: access to school health services; student and staff education; a healthy school environment; and an appropriate physical education/activity program.

The four-year grant gives LAUSD and ALAC an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders, Nurses, Teachers, Principals and Community and Health organizations. Partners have already started to come to the table, including the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, led by Kathye Petters-Armitage who coordinates the Asthma Coalition of Los Angeles County. In fact, the Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative will be the first major project of the Asthma Coalition’s School Committee. We are already coming together to complete a comprehensive asthma needs assessment for the District. This will be used to create an action plan for the District schools.

Karen Maiorca HonoredThe grant will allow partners to implement a thoughtful and comprehensive three-year program. The goal of the program is to improve comprehensive asthma management in all District schools in order to improve the health, education, and well-being of young people with asthma.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Southern California Chapter, honored Karen Maiorca, Director of Nursing Services for Los Angeles Unified School District, for her work promoting asthma awareness and care.  She was honored on May 4, 2004, the date celebrated world-wide as World Asthma Day.

Mrs. Maiorca received the Patricia A. McClure Award for her significant contributions to the Breathmobile® program and for her commitment to the health of the school children of the Los Angeles Unified School District.  Through Karen’s leadership, hundreds of dedicated school nurses and staff members have been trained to identify children with asthma and other respiratory problems.

The Breathmobile® program now serves more than 80 schools in our school district.  Four mobile units now provide free medical care to children with asthma.  This program continues to keep kids “in” school and “out” of the emergency room.

Karen has been Director of Nursing Services for LAUSD since 1999 and leads the more than 600 school nurses that serve over 750,000 students.  She has been in school nursing nearly 28 years and is a past president of the California School Nurses Organization—Southern Section. She has been a member of the executive board of that organization for the past 20 years.

Her peers describe her as a global visionary for advancing school nursing; an exemplary leader; a calm, caring communicator; and a wise mentor.  She is indeed an inspiration for the 600 LAUSD School Nurses.

Pilot Asthma Program Showing Promising Results

Local District H is piloting a special program for children with asthma that addresses their needs in their homes.  This program is funded by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency.  School Nurse Yolanda Cuevas is leading the effort to bring asthma care to students’ homes.  Yolanda is an experienced respiratory therapist and is bilingual in Spanish and English.

 Yolanda is visiting families of students who have excessive absences and/or ER visits due to asthma.  She works with parents and students to eliminate asthma triggers in their homes, to properly use their medications, and to obtain medical care to manage asthma.  She works with both PSA counselors and school nurses to identify students who would benefit from these services.

 We are encouraged by the initial results.  We believe that the data will show an increase in school attendance and a decrease in visits to the ER.  We are now in the process of seeking additional grant funds to expand this program to other areas of LAUSD. 

MAKING THE CONNECTION

The LAUSD Asthma Program and District Nursing tabled the "Coordinated School Health and Achievement: Making the Connection" conference on Saturday May 21st.

Approximately 640 plus attendees had the opportunity to exchange resources with 24 diverse health and education centered exhibitors. School Nurses, Social Workers, School and District Administrators, parents, local agency representatives, and the Department of Health from both Los Angeles and Orange County where present at the well-attended event.

This was the first time professionals from the diverse branches of LAUSD's Student Health and Human Services Division and BTSA teachers where united to learn about the importance of Coordinated School Health.

A keynote address was given by Dr. Marion Nestle, author of "Food Politics; How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health". LAUSD Board of Education Members Marlene Canter, Jon Lauritzen, and Julie Korenstien where in attendance as was Board of Supervisors County of Los Angeles Zev Yaroslavsky.