The Napa County Asthma Coalition (NCAC) is pleased to be moving forward with the exciting school-based project “Healthy Air, Healthy Kids”.

We are fortunate to be living in one of the most world renowned, picturesque regions; yet, in the midst of our bucolic setting are some of the most pervasive asthma and allergy triggers that threaten the respiratory health of our local residents, particularly children and school personnel prone to asthma and allergies. Napa County has the second highest prevalence of asthma in California and our County’s lifetime rate of asthma in children and adolescents is 15.4 percent as compared to California’s overall rate of 14.8 percent. The improvement of indoor air quality in the schools and homes of the children who live in Napa County is one of our initial goals.

During Asthma Awareness Month in May, the NCAC received confirmation for funding to launch the California Teachers Association’s “Healthy Air, Healthy Kids” (HA,HKs) program. This program is aimed at improving the indoor air quality for selected K-12 schools and has at its foundation, a coordinated team approach to improving air quality in classrooms. Members of our coalition met recently with representatives of the Napa Valley Unified School District who, along with the District Board, have selected three schools within the District to participate in the program.

Working closely with the Napa Valley Unified School District and identified schools, our coalition will guide the implementation of the Healthy Air, Healthy Kids program with the purpose of increasing awareness of the link between indoor air quality, health and learning and helping teachers identify and reduce classroom triggers with simple interventions. Components of the project will include presentations to teachers and other school personnel and distribution of classroom checklists. In addition, parents will be provided with educational presentations and packets for home use to combat such environmental triggers as dust, pollen, pet fur, strong odors, mold, fragrances, chemicals and smoke.

As a secondary goal, our coalition will focus on improving air quality in homes of students identified with Asthma through in-home visits including the provision of green cleaning products.

Since our inception, we have been fortunate to have ongoing support and generous grant funding from the Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente and First Five.

To learn more about NCAC’s efforts or to get involved with the coalition, please contact Susan Carrington at (707) 251-2015 or visit our Web site at //www.napaasthma.org.

Click here to see previous coalition spotlights