The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing West Nebraska
Division in Scottsbluff and community partners will hold the Third Annual
Asthma Awareness event Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event,
which is open to the public, will offer free asthma screenings and education
at the Monument Mall in Scottsbluff, 2302 Frontage Road.
Sponsors of the event are the college, LINCARE, Inc., Panhandle Community
Services, the Nebraska Student Nurses Association, Lakhman Gondalia, M.D.
of the Wyoming Chest and Allergy Clinic, Cheyenne, Wyo., and other area
health providers.
The event will include educational childrens activities. Prize drawings
will be held. At 2 p.m., a release of 100 balloons into the air will signify
lifting the burden of asthma.
Kim Rodehorst, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Jan Judy, assistant professor,
both of the UNMC College of Nursing West Nebraska Division, said the purpose
of the event is to increase awareness of the burden of asthma and the need
to improve asthma care. Free lung function tests for screening of asthma
will be available, as well as education, including what the common triggers
of asthma are, asthma medications, use of peak flow monitor and signs and
symptoms of asthma.
There is a lot to be done to educate our community about asthma so
those with asthma can control it and live active lives, Dr. Rodehorst
said. Despite the new National Institutes of Health asthma guidelines
drafted by experts around the country, there are patients who dont get
the recommended asthma management and treatment.
Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory lung disease characterized by recurrent
breathing problems. During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways
swells, muscles around the airways tighten and mucus clogs the tiny airways
in the lungs, making breathing difficult. It is estimated that 150 million
people worldwide suffer from asthma, making it one of the most common chronic
diseases worldwide. Left untreated, asthma often leads to hospitalization,
absenteeism from school and work, limitations on physical activity, and,
in some cases, death.
Information about asthma is available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/wad/index.htm