May is Asthma Awareness Month and Air Quality Awareness!



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The Minnesota Asthma Program




May is Asthma Awareness Month  

May AA

May is Asthma Awareness Month [ [link removed] ]! 

When you control your asthma, you can breathe easier, be active, and sleep well. The first step in raising asthma awareness is learning about asthma and educating friends, family, and others with ways to control asthma. Take action in your community by promoting asthma awareness and encouraging others to participate!

*Learn more about Asthma Awareness Month:*

Asthma Awareness [ [link removed] ]

Asthma and Allergy Awareness [ [link removed] ]



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Air quality figure
Air Quality Awareness Week: *May 1 - May 5*

Air Quality Awareness Week [ [link removed] ] will be celebrated from May 1–5. The theme this year is "*Working Together for Clean Air.*" Countries around the world are connecting to work towards better air quality for everyone. Increase your air quality awareness and encourage others to do the same. Be aware and be prepared!

*Learn more about Air Quality Awareness Week:* [ [link removed] ]

Air Quality in Minnesota [ [link removed] ]

Asthma Triggers Home-Friendly Checklist (PDF) [ [link removed] ]

Poor air quality affects all of us, but Minnesota's most vulnerable populations – seniors, the poor, people without health insurance, and people with chronic health conditions – experience greater impacts. Racial discrimination and inequities in income, education, housing, and access to health care increase the effects air pollution has on health. Learn more in two recent reports: Life and Breath: Metro (updated 2022) [ [link removed] ] and Life and Breath: Greater Minnesota (2022). [ [link removed] ]

Sign-up to receive alerts and forecasts via email  [ [link removed] ]



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Asthma: Quick Facts

How common is asthma in Minnesota? About 1 in 24 children and 1 in 12 adults have asthma. *Explore more information on asthma and asthma data:*

Asthma in Minnesota [ [link removed] ]

Asthma Data [ [link removed] ]

Asthma in Minnesota: A Strategic Framework 2021-2030 [ [link removed] ]

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family sitting together indoors [ [link removed] ]

Understanding Air Quality and Your Health

Pollution from vehicles, businesses and many other sources affects the air we breathe, and our health. Air quality changes constantly, all over Minnesota. Learn how to use the Air Quality Index to stay safe. 

Learn more by watching the video Understanding Air Quality and Your Health [ [link removed] ]. A co-production of ECHO Minnesota and TPT, in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, and English. 

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"My Asthma Journey" with Catherine Diamond

"The Asthma Program is featuring personal asthma stories highlighting people with asthma, families with children who have asthma, and others impacted by asthma. Asthma can be different for everyone, and symptoms and onset can vary from person to person. For questions about treatment and medical care, please consult a health care provider. MDH supports the 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines. [ [link removed] ]"

 

*Meet Catherine: * 

Catherine works with the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Injury and Violence Prevention Section and leads Economics and Evaluation. She has been with MDH for over 5 years, initially as the Evaluator for the Asthma Program!  

*How would you describe your experiences with asthma? * 

While I’ve never had asthma myself, my daughters, Clara and Amelia, experience asthma symptoms. When Clara, my oldest daughter was 3, now 8 years old, she had a persistent cough that would wake her up at night. We had a lot of trouble finding a treatment plan and curing her cough as she couldn’t be diagnosed with asthma until she was older. With help from her primary care physician (PCP), Clara started using a quick relief inhaler and nebulizer at home to manage asthma symptoms, especially at night. My youngest daughter, Amelia, was diagnosed with croup, an infection that causes swelling in the lungs and problems breathing, experienced similar symptoms, but it quickly progressed to upper respiratory failure and was in the Minnesota Children's Hospital ICU for 6 days. After this episode Amelia also got her own quick relief inhaler and nebulizer. This has certainly been a journey with multiple trips to the Emergency Room, especially when my daughters had common colds, viral infections, and croup-like symptoms.

With help from a lot of doctors, we started to learn how to recognize signs and symptoms of asthma, control respiratory flare-ups, and be prepared to treat them at home. Clara has since been told she does not have diagnosed asthma. Amelia is still too young to be clinically diagnosed with asthma, but we have an Asthma Action Plan to know when to use maintenance and quick relief inhalers and nebulizers at home, and when it’s time to visit their PCP.  

*How did you learn about asthma management and finding asthma resources? * 

I was working directly in MDH’s Asthma Program as an Evaluator, but I didn’t know how to manage my daughters’ asthma. Through my colleagues, I started to find resources on asthma and proper inhaler technique to educate myself and my daughters and explain their asthma in a more simplified way. With education and a lot of practice, I learned that Clara and Amelia both developed asthma symptoms when they have upper respiratory infections. I now look for symptoms such as a runny nose or a distinct sounding cough that indicate it’s time to proactively start using a maintenance inhaler and quick relief as needed. I wasn't taught proper inhaler technique until after Amelia's emergency care. I am now comfortable with using an emergency line at the pulmonologist’s office to walk through steps for emergency care, rather than visiting a hospital. My daughters regularly visit their pulmonologist every 6 months to make sure their Asthma Action Plans are still working well.  

*What did you learn as a parent with children who have asthma? * 

When Clara started using an inhaler, no one taught me how to use it. There was no instruction from the pediatrician’s office or the pharmacy, and with no asthma experience, I didn’t know how to ensure they were inhaling the medicine correctly. I quickly learned that education is key and asking questions is extremely important, especially understanding that I have doctors I can consult. The group of doctors I used with Amelia and Clara gave me tools and resources and made me feel confident in my ability to handle this chronic challenge at home.

As a parent, my knowledge and confidence are so important in succeeding at home and making my daughters feel more comfortable and supported. They are more confident and aware of when it’s time to use their inhalers, or “puff” as they call it!  

*How can we build support and increase advocacy for people who have asthma in MN?*  

Education is so important. With Clara and Amelia, I was handed an inhaler and chamber without any demonstration or knowledge on what the devices were. Information from pediatrician offices and pharmacies can be lacking, and there is room for doctors, healthcare support roles, such as Nurse Practitioners and pharmacists, to take the time to provide more education to people with asthma and their families.

Education is the greatest opportunity to support people who have asthma and empower parents to be comfortable with providing care for their children.

Learn more about asthma [ [link removed] ] and best asthma management [ [link removed] ] practices. 

""If you would like to share your personal asthma story, we would love to hear from you! Please reach out to the Asthma Program: [email protected] | 651-201-5909 ""




Announcements, Events, and other Resources…

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Norm
"Hey Norm!"

To combat the tobacco industry’s use of marketing tactics like celebrity endorsements and the use of flavors that appeal to youth, MDH has launched “Hey Norm [ [link removed] ],” a creative, relatable marketing campaign intended to engage teens about the issue of vaping.   

The campaign highlights the dangers of vaping, which are often underestimated. The truth is that e-cigarette aerosol contains harmful chemicals including ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavorings (which the Tobacco Industry uses to market heavily to teens) such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds; cancer-causing chemicals; and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead. 

For additional information about Room to Breathe, visit aroomtobreathe.org [ [link removed] ]. For more information on the Hey Norm campaign, visit heynorm.org [ [link removed] ]. 



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Weclome
Camp Superkids for Children with Asthma

*June 25**–30**, 2023
YMCA Camp Ihduhapi, Loretto, MN*

Camp Superkids is a week-long summer camp program that will create support and bring together children with similar. In 2023, YMCA Camp Ihduhapi is providing additional funding to Camp Superkids participants to help individuals and families access the programs that are important to them. Find more information on scholarships and financial assistance [ [link removed] ].

Register for Camp Superkids  [ [link removed] ]

Download 2023 Camp Superkids Flyer.pdf [ [link removed] ]

For additional questions, contact [email protected] | 763-230-9309



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How to Use Asthma Medicine Devices

With summer around the corner, it's important to remember proper inhaler techniques. Watch American Lung Association videos about using different asthma medicine devices [ [link removed] ] and download instruction pages to help you manage your asthma.

ALA



MDH will no longer be offering asthma medications posters. Please visit the Allergy and Asthma Network  [ [link removed] ]and the American Lung Association (PDF) [ [link removed] ] for resources on asthma and free poster downloads.




*Contact the Asthma Program [ [link removed] ]**: * 

[email protected] | 651-201-5909 

*Asthma Program* 
Minnesota Department of Health 
Golden Rule Building  85 E. 7th Place, Suite 220
PO Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882 

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Get free help to quit smoking, vaping, and chewing from MDH’s Quit Partner™. Visit QuitPartnerMN.com [ [link removed] ] or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).

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