Breathe California of the Bay Area

Our program goal is to prevent asthma and to reduce the burden of asthma for families in our local communities. Services (activities) include: 6-week course for children with asthma delivered on-site at elementary schools; parents support group; children’s asthma camp; environmental assessments of schools/homes; asthma screening; provision of respiratory therapy equipment; professional trainings and in-services, advocacy and awareness campaigns. Our background in community mobilization stretches back almost a century, and we helped to build the local Public Health Department. We were the first to deliver health education services locally (1940s). Outcomes include increases in knowledge of asthma and coping skills, decreases in school absences and emergency room visits, and improvements to schools and homes that reduce respiratory hazards.