King County Asthma Program

The King County Asthma Forum (KCAF) is a community coalition to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and management of asthma. The forum is made up of community residents, clinics and hospitals, schools and child-care centers, public health agencies, and other organizations concerned with the children’s health. KCAF uses Community Health Workers make personal connections with families and provide asthma care training, home environmental assessments, and community outreach. The program includes neighborhood asthma committees, a phone triage line, and asthma management coordinators. KCAF also educates providers on asthma guideline implementation, does outreach in child-care settings, and is involved in school and state-level policy efforts.

The goal of the King County Asthma Forum is to improve asthma outcomes among low-income children.

KCAF has educated 60 school nurses, 17 health educators, and 17 teachers in asthma management and trained 699 child-care providers in asthma basics. Clients in the Community Health Worker program have decreased asthma symptoms by 60% (2.4 days a week), costs for urgent care (from $332 to $201 per child over two months), and had 64% fewer emergency room visits. Clients were more likely to have asthma management plans following intervention (67% vs. 32%) and to use controller medications (83% vs. 67%).