Because the Richmond metropolitan area has historically had the highest asthma-related discharge rates for children (and adults) in the entire state of Virginia, the CARMA project has always approached asthma care and management in a holistic manner. That means efforts are integrated to ensure outcomes across all gender, racial, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic lines. It’s not enough to teach children about asthma care and management; it requires raising an awareness and understanding for the many people who interact with an asthmatic child on a regular basis. Since its inception in 2001, CARMA has become an invaluable resource to the region it serves with programs and activities that support a healthier community.

One distinctive feature of CARMA is that was founded and continues to be championed by a health system rather than a health department. CARMA’s network of partners are the cheerleaders in the community, willingly contributing a wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom to CARMA’s efforts. CARMA believes it is all about outreach and being a visible force in the community and is a regular participant in area health fairs and community events which helped “brand” the project as a comprehensive resource for children with asthma. CARMA is a “they” centered program – “they” being the community organizations that came together to form this unique community collaborative in the first place. CARMA’s interventions, therefore, are well-established services that reach a broad audience. For example, CARMA partners with three public schools systems to offer free awareness and education programs and provides asthma education to school nurses in all of Central Virginia’s school systems and serves as an available asthma resource whenever school nurses request information or assistance. CARMA also conducts a caregiver education program that includes free asthma training for local teachers, staff and administrators of head start programs and license child care facilities.

CARMA also provides interventions directed at the pediatric physicians who care for asthmatics. Unlike many programs that target a specific audience in a controlled setting, CARMA’s outreach targets all physicians, not just those who treat the urban poor. National guidelines and best practices are reinforced through personalized case studies, toolkits, and template. Programs and initiatives include the Physician Asthma Care for Children and Provider Quality Improvement.

CARMA’s strategy for asthma management is not a one-size-fits-all approach and addresses the need for personalized interventions in a number of ways, including an In-Home Trigger Remediation Program for families of children with asthma, the Asthma FIT program – a series of education activities that promote safe physical activity for kids, the Asthma Educator Institute – a two day prep course for those qualified to take the National Asthma Educator Certification Examination, and Case Management services for high-risk children with asthma.