School Asthma Initiative (SAI)

Breathe PA’s School Asthma Initiative (SAI) is an asthma management program that builds support systems for students with asthma at school and at home. Facilitated by a certified asthma educator, SAI provides both in-person and real-time virtual asthma awareness, education, and training throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

SAI offers training for the following groups:

K-12 Students

In-school student asthma training is available for school-age students with asthma and may include multiple sessions. Students enrolled in the program learn about asthma basics and receive a Student Asthma Kit, which includes an Asthma Action Workbook, a spacer, and a peak flow meter.

Parents/Guardians

Presented by Breathe PAs Certified Asthma Educators (AE-C), these sessions help parents and guardians develop a better understanding of what asthma is and how to identify:

• Early warning signs that occur before an attack
• Asthma attack triggers at school and at home
• The purpose of each asthma medication and how asthma devices work
• How an Asthma Action Plan can help reduce the number of days missed from school

School Nurses

School nurses can receive NCPD or Act 48 course credit by completing training sessions related to asthma management. Topics include current asthma classifications, treatment guidelines, and strategies to address allergies’ impact on students with asthma.

A School Nurse Asthma Tool Kit is available to all School Nurse offices that participate in the Student SAI asthma education session. This tool kit offers additional asthma management supplies, educational posters, and back- up Albuterol for the school nurse office.

School Personnel

SAI offers Act 48 accredited interactive asthma training that covers asthma basics such as environmental triggers, exercise-induced asthma, and how to manage an asthma attack.

Community Health Workers

SAI provides targeted education to community health workers, positioning them as trusted resources within their communities. By enhancing their understanding of asthma education and advocacy, SAI equips these workers to better support families dealing with asthma-related challenges.

Professional Students

SAI offers training to students studying to work in medical fields such as nursing, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, etc., to better understand how to care for children with asthma.

For more information on SAI or to schedule programming, contact Jessica Schuman, RN, BSN, AE-C, CTTS, Asthma Program Manager, at jschuman@breathepa.org.