Asthma Program

Your child will receive a thorough evaluation from our board certified pulmonologists and allergists. They will work with you and your child's primary care doctor to develop a treatment and follow-up plan that best suits your child’s needs. By controlling and managing asthma symptoms, your child can fully participate in school, sports and all other daily physical activities.

We help you understand your child’s condition and develop treatment plans for acute attacks and long-term maintenance. Our three-step approach to asthma care includes:

1. Assessment. Our review of your child’s past and current asthma condition includes:

• History
• Symptoms
• Physical exam
• Lung function test and allergy testing (if appropriate)

2. Making an asthma plan. We work with you and your child to develop a treatment plan that includes:

• Proper use of asthma medicines, inhalers and spacer devices
• Providing your child the best medicines with the lowest risk of side effects
• Learning the warning signs of asthma attacks and medicine side effects
• Preventing frequent coughing and wheezing
• Maintaining normal activity levels, including sports and after-school activities
• Reducing urgent office visits and hospitalizations
• Developing a daily treatment plan and a plan for when symptoms occur

3. Control. Well-controlled asthma means your child can participate in all physical activities and is not having asthma symptoms more than twice a week. At follow-up visits, we focus on how well your child’s asthma is controlled. If the asthma is not well-controlled, we evaluate:

• Environmental and household triggers
• Need for allergy skin testing
• Related medical conditions
• Change in medicine

As part of our Asthma Program, children who require treatment in our hospital receive care from a multidisciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, asthma educators, social workers and case managers.

Our High-Risk Asthma Care Center provides care for children with unique challenges related to asthma management. We adjust medicines as needed to quickly control asthma flare-ups. For children in our program, this intensive team approach helps lower the number of hospital visits.