Baptist Health - Community Asthma Partnership at Wolfson

Overview

The Community Asthma Partnership was launched in 1992 by Baptist Health working with Nemours Children’s Specialty Care and University of Florida Health. Wolfson Children’s Hospital – a Baptist Health hospital – took over operations of the Community Asthma Partnership in 2006. In alignment with Baptist Health’s goal of promoting child health, the Community Asthma Partnership at Wolfson (CAP-W) meets an enormous need in Northeast Florida by improving outcomes for local children with asthma. The health system’s primary service area in Jacksonville has high asthma mortality and the fourth highest rate of age-adjusted asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits in Florida. In addition, asthma is the number-one reason for school absences and unplanned parent time off. Tailored to be highly convenient and accessible, CAP-W’s free comprehensive education and follow-up services for children with asthma, their parents and families, teachers and caregivers are as follows:

• The A2 Asthma-Friendly School Program teaches students, teachers and staff from pre-school through high school about asthma symptoms, triggers and emergency response, and offers case management/referrals.

• Twice-monthly Community Asthma Workshops target children and families who have experienced asthma-related ED visits or hospitalizations, offering educational activities and asthma toolkits.

• The Easy Breathing Program sends care coordinators into pediatric and primary care facilities to educate health providers about the latest asthma care guidelines and provide resources in English and Spanish.

• High-Risk Care Coordination and Bedside Education are conducted by asthma educators.

• Summer Camps conducted with child-serving organizations (YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Jacksonville Children’s Commission, etc.) educate community members on how to help friends, relatives or classmates better control their asthma and/or respond to an exacerbation.

CAP-W effectively leverages existing structures, organizations and personnel to save lives and ease the strain on families and emergency resources.

Impact

In 2015, CAP-W’s A2 program educated 137 adults and 96 children in monthly community workshops, reached 3,997 individuals through community asthma events, taught and empowered 353 summer campers, and educated 215 teachers and 470 students. A2’s impact is hard to quantify region-wide, but Florida Department of Health (DOH) statistics show that the three-year rolling age-adjusted death rate from asthma in Duval County dropped from 2.0 to 1.6 from 2008 to 2010 and 2012 to 2014. A 2012 Florida DOH analysis of Easy Breathing patients from 2009 to 2012 showed that ED visits among participants decreased by 34 percent, and clinic visits decreased by 40 percent during that period. In addition, staff and administrators regularly receive feedback from families, teachers, and children whose lives and health have been positively impacted by CAP-W’s education and management tools.

Lessons Learned

Lessons learned in CAP-W’s component initiatives have mostly comprised process refinements that make it easier for children and families to participate. Care coordination is important, as many of the participants have significant social service needs that affect bother their quality of life and their ability to control asthma symptoms and overall health. CAP-W leaders have recently initiated a comprehensive partnership with a social service agency to enhance the services available to area high-risk families.

Future Goals

Program leaders hope to further expand into the community and school system, as well as add more educators and care coordinators.

Contact: Megan Denk
Director, THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health at Wolfson Children’s Hospital
Telephone: 904-202-4055
Email: megan.denk@bmcjax.com