DHS Offers Free In-Home Asthma Management Services for Eligible Families in Four Counties

Spring has sprung, and many Wisconsinites are starting to feel it in their airways. In Wisconsin, approximately 550 children are hospitalized each year for asthma-related health issues, and 4,800 children end up in Wisconsin emergency departments. May is Asthma Awareness Month, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) wants to remind Wisconsinites that help and resources are available.

"Asthma symptoms increase in the spring due to increased allergens like pollen and other environmental triggers that irritate sensitive airways," said Paula Tran, state health officer and administrator of the Division of Public Health. "While there is no cure for asthma, it can be managed with proper treatment and an asthma action plan."

In Wisconsin, 1 in 15 children has asthma, and 41% of children have an uncontrollable form of it, causing 1 in 3 to miss school as a result. Programs like the Asthma-Safe Homes Program (ASHP) can be a lifeline to families who need support managing asthma symptoms.

ASHP is available to all Medicaid-eligible children and pregnant people with uncontrolled asthma in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Rock counties. Services offered include home visits for self-management education, home assessments to identify triggers, supplies to reduce triggers, and, if eligible, asthma-related home repairs addressing mold, air quality, and allergens. More than 700 Wisconsinites in over 100 homes have received repair and remediation services to address sources of asthma triggers in the past three years.

All families managing asthma can use these tips to help keep their child's asthma under control:

• Make sure children take their medicine as prescribed every day.
• Create an asthma action plan and share it with any adult in a child's life who may need to know the steps, such as teachers, babysitters, and coaches, etc. Ensure children recognize their asthma symptoms and know what action to take.
• Recognize common springtime asthma triggers like pollens, temperature changes, and physical activity.
• Check local air quality and pollen levels (visit the DHS Climate and Health webpage).
• Have children stay indoors when air quality levels or pollen counts are high.
• Use air conditioning instead of opening windows when air quality levels or pollen counts are high.
• If a child has played outside, have them shower off before getting into bed.
• Vacuum kids' rooms and wash bedding, clothes, and stuffed animals weekly.

Learn how to reduce asthma triggers, create an asthma action plan, and apply to ASHP on the DHS Asthma webpage.