Creating healthy schools: Working in collaboration toward environmentally sound and asthma-friendly school environments

While it's the priority for schools to educate youth, keeping students safe and in a healthy environment is key to a student's academic achievement. Asthma affects the lives of close to 7 million children and 14.4 million lost school days in 2008. There are many environmental and asthma-friendly strategies that can help to reduce the risk of asthma episodes in schools. The American Lung Association is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all youth through its Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative (AFSI) and its purpose to keep students healthy, in school and ready to learn. AFSI is a comprehensive approach to asthma management that provides the framework needed for schools to create a plan that reduces the risk of health-related emergencies. AFSI was created through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and aligns with their Strategies for Addressing Asthma within a Coordinated School Health Program. The AFSI Toolkit is available to guide community/school coalitions through the asthma management planning process and is divided into 5 major sections: master planning, maximizing school health services, building asthma education, providing a healthy school environment, and managing physical education and activity. This session will provide an opportunity for participants to become familiar with strategies to create a green school and asthma-friendly school as well as receive information on available tools and resources to support a healthy school environment.