Asthma Prevention

CCHD has received a three year, $68,000 regional asthma home-visitation/prevention grant from the CT Dept of Public Health. CCHD will act as the fiduciary for the Regional II Asthma Coalition which consists of 28 towns in the greater Hartford area. According to the CT State Department of Public Health, in the 2005-2006 school year there were 5,832 asthmatics in the 35 towns.
It has been shown that environmental factors can play a role in increasing a child’s risk of an asthma attack and may also increase their risk of developing asthma. Specific interventions can decrease environmental exposure in homes of children with asthma.

Families are shown how to reduce common indoor allergens in the home as needed. Recommendations for changes to the home environment and asthma self-management practices may be made.

The Coalition will contract with the local health departments in the region to conduct the home visits. The immediate goal of this program is to help families decrease a child’s or adult’s risk of an asthma attack or developing asthma. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of emergency room visits by these patients. There is no cost to the patient or family, however, recommendations for changes may be made that could carry a cost, such as the purchase of a vacuum or having mold removed from the home.