Fighting Asthma in Chicago with Archie the Asthma Management Snail

A recent NPR article reported on the decreasing trends of pediatric asthma in the US.  As an asthma educator with the Respiratory Health Association, I find this to be exciting news because I think it is a testament to the hard work that organizations like RHA do to improve the quality of health in the US.  However, as mentioned in the article, I can attest to the fact that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to get the number of children living with asthma down to an appropriate level. The communities that I serve are predominantly poor and African American, these people face huge challenges in accessing things like education and quality health care.  It isn't uncommon for me to go into a school and hear a story about a student or someone's relative who passed away as the result of an asthma attack.  Seeing the large numbers of asthmatic children in these schools can be overwhelming; it is evident that there is a real issue with pediatric asthma, but I take it as an opportunity to have a positive effect on their lives.

As an asthma educator, my role is to go into schools on Chicago's south and west sides and educate asthmatic children on how to manage their condition through RHA's Fight Asthma Now program.  Through FAN, children learn to control their asthma by learning their early warning signs, trigger avoidance, proper medication use, and how to develop an asthma action plan.  The children also receive a free spacer to use with their inhaler, which greatly increases the effectiveness of their medication. Along with educating asthmatic children through RHA's FAN program, I also try to create uniques ways to educate the broader community on the importance of asthma management. One of the ways I have done this is through Archie the Asthma Management Snail, a cartoon snail whose mission is to educate the social media world about issues related to asthma in chicago.  Unfortunately, asthma is a lifelong illness.  The kids that I serve will never completely get rid of their condition.  The good news though is that with the proper education and resources, the disease can easily be managed.  Through my service I believe I am helping asthmatic children learn the skills necessary to manage their disease, which will hopefully allow them to have healthy productive lives.

This post was written by CHC member Jacob Hojnacki

Jacob serves as an Asthma Educator at the Respiratory Health Association