Pro Active Families Against Asthma
ProFAA
is an in-home visitation asthma education program for children 0-5 and their
families. BCCC has established partnerships with local clinics, childcare
providers and other community organizations that refer families to our program.
Self-referrals are also accepted. All of our services are provided free
of charge. We have expanded our enrollment criteria to include not only
children with an asthma diagnosis but also those with asthma-like signs
and symptoms.
The ProFAA program also provides asthma education for childcare providers,
both in groups our on an individual basis. As part of the program services,
our highly trained and experienced Asthma Educators contact clients’
physicians in order to obtain Asthma Action plans or clarify treatment directions
that many times do not get properly conveyed due to time constraints, or
cultural and linguistic barriers.
ProFAA is an outcome oriented project in which we track Emergency Room
utilization and hospitalizations, as well as frequency of asthma symptoms
and missed days of work and school due to asthma. For this reason, BCCC
has developed a comprehensive database which allows for outcomes to be closely
monitored. Our expected outcomes have been reached year after year with
children who go through our program having fewer Emergency Room visits and
hospitalizations due to asthma, as well as fewer asthma symptoms.
This program is currently funded by First 5 Monterey County until June 2007.
Even though ProFAA is primarily an asthma education program, our Asthma
Educators become advocates for the families they visit and assist them with
other issues that affects their child’s well-being such as housing,
access to care and medications, as well as other available community resources.
BCCC has successfully assisted many families by mediating housing improvements
with landlords, obtaining free medication through special pharmaceutical
companies programs and ensuring that the child has a ‘medical home’
– an designated clinic with an assigned physician who can monitor
their condition.