Strengthening Our Practice: Building Asthma-Friendly Schools __________________________________________________________________________ Ask Us About - 2.0 Asthma - Chicago __________________________________________________________________________
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Asthma Management
Building Program Momentum and Sustainability through Successful Partnerships
Strong Partnerships; The Key To Sustaining Initiatives
The strength of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Asthma Education Program (AEP) has consistently been building successful partnerships that compliment and drive program goals and objectives. Partners include; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), Mecklenburg County Health Department (MCHD), CMS Health and Physical Education Department, Mecklenburg County Asthma Coalition (MCAC), Carolinas Health Care System (CHS), and Community Care Partners of Greater Mecklenburg (CCPGM). AEP is a collaboration between Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Mecklenburg County Health Department; this vital partnership has been the springboard to accomplishing asthma initiatives in schools.
A partnership with the Mecklenburg County Asthma Coalition (MCAC) is an example of one of the AEP’s strong collaborations. Working together, AEP and MCAC developed and provide Parent Asthma Education Classes throughout the community. This was made possible through funding from the American Lung Association’s Asthma Friendly Schools Initiative (AFSI) grant. Now completing the third year, the classes are now an ingrained curriculum piece in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Parent University; a system of courses offered FREE to parents and community members though Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), through strong community partnerships. Classes are offered in schools throughout CMS reach a broader group of community members. AEP and MCAC also deliver annual asthma awareness events, clinical support and education to school nurses.
Together, these partnerships allow the AEP to successfully initiate asthma activities. Working together with partners, AEP builds momentum for programs and provides a means of sustaining successful asthma programs. These programs provide rich interventions for students with asthma that will improve health and academic outcomes to support students with asthma learn to manage their asthma and be successful learners.
