So far this school year we have 39 N-O-T programs and 31 ATS programs running. We have received program evaluations for 169 students. The N-O-T program has helped 27 percent of the students quit using tobacco and 31 percent have reduced their intake. We have provided teachers a total of 396 N-O-T Student Journals and 156 ATS Student Journals so far this year. We have awarded $5,500 in incentive stipends and $1,550 in mini-grants. As you can see we have been very busy J

I would like to congratulate the following facilitators for providing the N-O-T & ATS programs in their schools.

 

Kick Butts Day 2005 !

 

Kick Butts Day is back, with more opportunities to take action than ever! This year, we have so many reasons to celebrate. One of the most exciting reasons is because it's Kick Butts Day's 10th Anniversary! Yep, that’s right – it’s already been 10 big ones. On April 13 thousands of youth in every state and around the world will STAND OUT…SPEAK UP… and SEIZE CONTROL in the fight against Big Tobacco. As always, you have the opportunity to get involved and use kickbuttsday.org and the KBD activity guide to plan your 2005 activities.

 

Here’s the scoop: Kick Butts Day is the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids' annual celebration of youth advocacy, leadership and activism. Like we mentioned, April 13 will be the 10th annual KBD, and the Campaign folks are already organizing anniversary events around the country!

 

DON'T FORGET to REGISTER your event! Why? Media coverage, finding out about other events in your area, FREE STUFF . . . that’s right – FREE STUFF, yeehaw! NOW do we have your attention?

 

Registering your event is important for another reason – if you let the Campaign know what you are up to for KBD, we can offer you our help. We have a team of youth advocates, event organizers and media staff ready to make KBD 2005 the loudest, strongest, most effective day of anti-tobacco activism yet.

 

So… register your event and start building momentum for KBD 2005! Spread the word and encourage other youth movements, community groups and schools in your area to join the fight against tobacco. Take it from youth advocates around the country and use KBD as your opportunity to stand out, speak up and seize control.

 

"Kick Butts Day should not be a day to start taking action, it should be a continuation of what takes place all year round. KBD is a reminder to continue the energy and the passion to change things in your state and our entire nation." Carly Caminiti, 18, Springfield, IL

 

"KBD is a great opportunity to reach out to your peers, and to kick some Big Tobacco butt!"
Jin Schrattenecker, 17, Columbus, OH

 

"Kick Butts Day is one of the most important days of a youth advocate's year. It is the day that youth are in the spotlight to raise awareness and to change how people look at tobacco. It is on this day that things concerning tobacco control in your state can change for the better." Ritney Castine, 18, Napoleonville, LA

 

Tobacco Smoke and Children with Asthma

Strong evidence suggests that tobacco smoke is detrimental to the health of people with asthma. Non-smokers with asthma are routinely exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoke is one of the leading asthma irritants and has been causally linked to the development of asthma in infants. Tobacco smoke is responsible for the majority of asthma hospitalizations in children and contributes significantly to asthma exacerbations in West Virginians with asthma. (CDC)

 

How does tobacco smoke affect children with asthma?

Breathing secondhand smoke from tobacco (passive smoking) is harmful to the lungs of children.

Children with asthma who live in a household with a smoker have more breathing problems, need to take more medicines, and have more emergency room visits than children who live in smoke-free homes.

 

Tobacco smoke is irritating to the airways in several ways. Smoke is made up of chemicals and very small pieces of ash that remain in the air long after the cigarette, pipe, or cigar is out. When a child with asthma breathes in these airborne chemicals and ash, it causes the muscles around the airways to squeeze tight, making it difficult for the child to breathe.

 

Coughing, wheezing, and a tight feeling in the chest are frequent complaints of children forced to breathe secondhand smoke. The smell of smoke on clothes and furniture and in the car can trigger an acute asthma episode for a child with sensitive airways. Breathing secondhand smoke as a child can affect the lungs throughout life. Smoking in the home of a child with asthma is unacceptable!

 

Written by the Asthma Task Force at The Children's Hospital, Denver.

Published by McKesson Health Solutions LLC.  Last modified: 2004-10-28

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_asthtoba_hhg.htm

 

Asthma & Allergy The Asthma Control Test (ACT) television spot that Glax Smith Kline sponsored is now live on www.LungUSA.org thanks to our E-Commerce Manager, Kwaku Amuti. Click HERE to go to it.

Asthma can be a life-threatening disease if not properly managed. At this website, you will find in-depth information including asthma and older people, teens and asthma, asthma medicines and attacks, peak flow meters, and home control of allergies and asthma.

 

 

“Blow the Whistle on Asthma Walk”

 

I wanted to let you know that we are once again planning our “Blow the Whistle on Asthma Walk.”  In West Virginia 11.7 percent of adults reported that they were diagnosed with asthma however this figure does not compare to the 23.2 percent of middle school students or the 21.1 percent of high school students who live with asthma. Percentages can be misleading. The reality is that in West Virginia we have an estimated 32,757 children who struggle with asthma every moment of their lives. Consequently asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism and the most common chronic childhood illness in the United States.

 

If there has been one thing that I have learned about a child who has been diagnosed with asthma, it’s that he or she can’t sit back and wait for others to raise the money that will fund the programs and research. 

 

My guess is that if you know or have a child with asthma you probably learned the same lesson. 

 

That’s why I encourage you to plan to join me in supporting these walks to the best of your ability.  

 

Our goal for asthma states that, “asthma will no longer be a burden to patients and their families, nor will it cause illness or death.”  To reach our asthma goal we need to raise funds and this is where you can help.

 

Parkersburg, WV     July 16, 2005
Charleston, WV     September 10, 2005
Huntington, WV     September 24, 2005

 

My hope is to recruit you as a team captain or a sponsor.  All the proceeds from this program will be used to support local asthma related programs, national research surrounding the causes and treatment of asthma, advocacy and actually all American Lung Association programs.

 

If you have any questions please contact me or our Special Events Manager, Rachelle Beckner, at 800-LUNG-USA. We look forward to a lasting partnership in this worthy cause.  Just remember, “When You Can’t Breathe, Nothing Else Matters.” I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

 The West Virginia Asthma Coalition (WVAC) is a diverse group of organizations and individuals committed to reducing the growing burden of asthma in our state.  By organizing our collected efforts, adopting best practices for quality management, and utilizing the expertise of leaders in asthma care, WVAC works to positively impact the lives of people affected by the disease.  Most recently, WVAC successfully campaigned for West Virginia legislation that allows children with asthma to carry their rescue inhalers with them while in school. 

 

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Asthma Education and Prevention Program created the Coalition in conjunction with the American Lung Association of West Virginia. WVAC is funded through a three-year grant awarded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

WVAC meets four times a year in different locations throughout the state. We currently have more than 130 individual members who represent more than 60 organizations including all of the major hospitals around the state; higher education institutions such as Bluefield College, Marshall University, University of Charleston, and West Virginia University; nonprofit organizations such as the American Lung Association of West Virginia, the West Virginia Association of School Nurses, the West Virginia Environmental Council, and the West Virginia Wellness Council; government organization such as the Department of Health and Human

 

Resources, and the Department of Environmental Protection; professional organizations such as the Asthma and Allergy Center, the West Virginia Health Care Authority, and the West Virginia Hospital Association; and several local health departments across the state.

 

Members join one of five committees, which are: Asthma Management, Community Outreach and Education, Data Sharing, Environment, and Schools and Pediatrics. Through the committees, members work on projects that provide asthma awareness and promote best practices.

 

If you are interested in learning more about WVAC or in joining, please contact Kelli Caseman, West Virginia Asthma Coalition program manager, at (304) 342-6600 or e-mail at kelli@alawv.org

           

You can also get information about WVAC on their website, www.alawv.org/wvac.htm

 

West Virginia Tobacco Educational Materials Clearinghouse:

 

The Tobacco Preventive Program Clearinghouse was formed in January 2001 with a grant from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Division of Tobacco Prevention, to the West Virginia Library Commission.

 

Free educational materials are distributed through tobacco prevention specialists, and other health care personnel, and interested agencies and their staffs.

 

On request, the clearinghouse can make a faxable materials order form available with a complete listing of our available items, other info, etc.  Also, a sample packet of info can be sent to you if you are really interested in what is available for your particular needs.  There are restrictions of the quantity of materials that can be ordered at one time.

 

The new coordinator there at the Library Commission is Melody Kelly and her e-mail is:  kelley@wvlc.lib.wv.us her phone is 800-642-9021 ext 8 or locally in Charleston it’s 558-0950.

 

 PROGRAM TIPS

 As the new year is here and we are preparing for the second semester I thought this would be a good time to review some of the rules for qualifying for the stipends.

 First you must follow the American Lung Association Professional Standards In Conducting Courses that you signed during the training (Click Here to see a copy)

 1.  Facilitators must complete all program sessions of the NOT/ATS program to receive the stipend. 

 2.  Completed sessions will not be grandfathered. 

 3.  Each school is eligible to receive five $100 stipends for running the ATS program per school year for a maximum of $500 per school. Currently there is no limit for the number of NOT clinics you can run and receive stipends for.

 4.  Simultaneous ATS programs started every other week at the same school will not be endorsed. To be eligible for the stipend the facilitator must complete the series of four sessions prior to commencing a new one.

 5.  To be eligible to earn a stipend there must be at least three students participating in the ATS or NOT class. The NOT/ATS program requires many group activities. Furthermore, the research for this program was completed with the teens participating in small groups of 5-7. We feel that to maintain the integrity of the N-O-T/ATS program we must insure the small group dynamics. We believe that by participating in the small group environment youth develop effective communication and caring skills. Small groups provide a sense of security for the teens and lets them know they are not alone in their addiction; it gives them a support network. Small groups further provide an environment to which facilitators can be more effective and productive than they could ever be on a one-to-one basis.

6.  Facilitators must submit the required evaluation forms to receive the stipends.

 Common Errors:

1. Giving the pre and post “What about me” surveys on the same day.

Giving the surveys on the same day does not allow us to assess if the program was helpful to the students.

2. Not ensuring the students initialed both surveys

If the students don’t initial the surveys I can’t assess the degree of cessation or reduction.

3. Incomplete packages

 I’ll receive the What about me 2 but not the What about me 1

4. Still using the NOT curriculum as a disciplinary program.

The ATS program has been developed as the disciplinary program. NOT is a volunteer program.

5. Claiming a program with insufficient students

Running a NOT class with only one student. I understand that you 

may only have one or two students that are asking for help. And I

certainly hope you are able to provide one-on-one counseling, you just

can’t call it a NOT class. We also have self help “Power Guides” that the

student can request, if you only have one or two students.