In the spring of 2009, I was contacted by Natchez-Adams School District nurses Geraldine Harris of West Primary and Marla Farmer of Frazier Primary, to do an anti-smoking program for their students. One of the questions I asked the students was, “How many of you have asthma?” Children who have asthma shouldn’t be around cigarette smoke. I was taken aback by the show of hands. Realizing I was talking to preschool to second grade, my first reaction was “Oh, they are just raising their hands because the child next to him raised his.” Unfortunately, both Geraldine and Marla confirmed the numbers.

We began talking about the issues they see on a daily basis, and we all agreed that parents need more information about this potentially fatal disease. The following facts are from the American Lung Association: Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism; in Mississippi, one out of every 10 children has asthma; currently there is no cure for asthma, but it can be controlled; and sadly, children, whose asthma is not managed, are at high risk for cardiopulmonary arrest.

Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Respiratory Care Practitioner Program has partnered with the NASD nurses to present a two evening program for parents and guardians of children who have asthma. The first evening will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Nelson Multipurpose Room in the Redd/Watkins Vo-Tech Building on the Co-Lin Natchez Campus. Topics will include: What is asthma? What are the signs and symptoms of asthma? What is status asthmaticus?

The second evening will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14 at the same location. Topics will include: Medications: Actions, uses and abuse; Monitoring Asthma: Peak flow measurements; and Preventing asthma attacks: Know triggers, relaxation and exercises.

The program is free to all parents and guardians. For more information, contact me at walt.wilson@colin.edu or by phone at 601-446-1161.

Walt Wilson is the program director at Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Respiratory Care Practitioner Program.