Young asthma sufferers get breath of fresh air with national program

HEALS program helps students with asthma

(source/photobucket)

Young asthma sufferers now have a second line of defense in managing their asthma.

HEALS, Inc, (Health Establishment for Local Schools) recently started the Open Airways For Schools program for its fifth grade students who battle the chronic lung disease, which inflames and narrows the airwaves.

The award-winning program was created by the American Lung Association, specifically for children, ages eight - 11.  For starters, it teaches kids how to manage their own asthma.

According to the American Lunch Association, "The program educates and empowers children through a fun and interactive approach to asthma self-management. It also teaches children how to detect the warning signs of asthma, avoid their triggers and make decisions about their health."

The class is provided to fifth graders in Huntsville and Madison County.  It meets once a week for six weeks.

"The program is important because these children have been diagnosed with this extreme condition due to their poor living conditions, and must learn to manage it because the disease still kills children each year," said Lauren Mosley, HEALS development coordinator. 

When students complete the course,  they will participate in a graduation ceremony, which will include the parents, a certificate and party,

HEALS provides free health care to underprivileged students in Huntsville and Madison County. For more information on the nonprofit organization, click here. For more information on the Open Airwaves for Schools program, click here.