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Green, Yellow, Red …..these colors are most frequently associated with traffic signals. However, for Spicer Christopher, a bright six year old who was diagnosed with asthma in 2005, these colors indicate how well he is breathing and if his asthma is under control. When Spicer blows in his peak flow meter…an inexpensive, portable, handheld device used to measure how well air moves out of his lungs, he is helping manage his asthma symptoms and preventing an asthma attack. His mom, Toni, explains, “Green means his breathing is ok; yellow tells me he needs a treatment and red indicates it’s time to go to the doctor…NOW!”
As a six month old baby, Spicer seemed to have continual bronchial infections. Since his father is asthmatic, his parents wondered if asthma might be the cause. Their suspicions were confirmed when, as a two year old, Spicer had a harrowing asthmatic episode and was rushed in an ambulance to Wolfson Children’s ER. He was subsequently admitted to Wolfson’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and diagnosed with asthma. His mother describes that as the beginning of their asthmatic journey.
Thanks to the Community Asthma Partnership at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Spicer and his mom have received asthma education and training on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. They received a peak flow meter and learned the importance of controlling Spicer’s asthma at home. Their education helped them gain a better understanding of Spicer’s asthma triggers; signs and symptoms; proper use and purpose of his medications and use of the peak flow meter.
Asthma is a serious health issue, but this training has made the family more confident in managing Spicer’s asthma at home and at school. This is particularly important because childhood asthma is an epidemic in Duval County. A 2008 report by the Duval County Health Department found that Duval had 24 percent more asthma-related emergency room visits than the state average. Wolfson’s Children’s Emergency Center alone received more than 1,300 asthma-related visits in 2008. Not surprisingly, asthma is the number-one reason our community’s children miss school and their parents miss work. Thanks to the asthma education and training they received from the Community Asthma Partnership at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Spicer’s mom, Toni, reports, “Spicer’s asthma is under much better control and he has missed very few days at school.”
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