Lung Health News, Fall 2004 / Winter 2005
California is poised to become one of 30 states that require schools to let students carry their asthma inhalers and self-administer the medication. It’s a life and death issue for the estimated 1 million children with asthma in California public schools. Because symptoms often come on quickly, instant access to medication can literally save their lives.
Currently, schools can require students to leave their medications in the school nurse’s office because state Board of Education regulations allow districts to develop their own policies.
The asthma inhaler legislation (Assembly Bill 2132, Reyes, D-Fresno, and Senate Bill 1912, Ashburn, R-Bakersfield) is receiving bipartisan support and is expected to become law along with Assembly Bill 2185 (Frommer, D-Los Angeles), which requires HMOs to provide self-management education to pediatric asthma patients.
