[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 58 (Tuesday, May 3, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       INTRODUCTION OF THE ASTHMA MANAGEMENT PLANS IN SCHOOL ACT

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2011

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Asthma 
Management Plans in School Act.
  Asthma is the most common childhood disease in the United States, 
affecting 7.1 million children.
  Every year, children lose more than 13 million school days due to 
asthma, and their parents must skip work to take care of them.
  Hawaii has a higher rate of childhood asthma than any other state. 
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control, 
18.6% of children in Hawaii have had asthma at some point in their 
life. This is much higher than the national rate of 13.3%. Along with 
common allergens and irritants, Hawaii's volcanic fog, or ``vog,'' is a 
common trigger for asthma attacks, due to the continuous eruption of 
Kilauea volcano on Hawaii Island.
  In Kona on Hawaii Island, 13.8% of people with asthma have needed to 
go to the emergency room for treatment. In the Nanakuli/Waianae area on 
Oahu, 10.4% went to the emergency room. Asthma costs Hawaii an 
estimated $18.2 million each year in direct medical costs alone.
  Although asthma cannot be cured, it can be controlled with education 
and the right medicine.
  The Asthma Management Plans in School Act will help children who 
suffer from an asthma attack while in school. My bill will provide 
grants to schools or local public health agencies in high-asthma areas 
to develop asthma management plans.
  Grantees will be able to purchase emergency asthma medication and 
devices including inhalers, nebulizers, spacers, valved holding 
chambers (VHCs), and epinephrine to stop anaphylactic shock. School 
staff will learn about the disease and gain tools to help children if 
they have an asthma attack at school.
  This bill has been endorsed by the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers 
of Asthmatics (AANMA), the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to 
eliminating suffering and death due to asthma, allergies, and related 
conditions.
  I am proud to work with the Hawaii Department of Health Asthma 
Control Program and the Hawaii Asthma Initiative.
  I also thank my colleague Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter for her 
work on this legislation in the previous congress.
  I urge my colleagues to support the bill.