UPDATE: Asthma vans are attracting some Congressional notice. On May 4, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) visited a Chicago asthma van, while it was serving families at St. Elizabeth School. Senator Obama expressed his interest in helping the Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation raise government funds to bring another two vans to the community in order to reach more families in need.

A lung check-up for a visitor to the Chicago Asthma Van.

Asthma is currently the most common long-term disease that affects children. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that 6.1 million children under 18 years of age currently have the condition, which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways. Each year, it causes kids to miss countless hours of school, and improper treatment can lead to costly emergency room visits or, in extreme cases, death.

It's a problem that has urban health educators, like Amy Miller, Executive Director of Chicago's Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation, especially concerned.

"Asthma can be controlled by compliance with an established regimen of medication, trigger (or allergen) avoidance, and regular medical care," says Miller. "Unfortunately it is particularly difficult to access/afford continuous and appropriate health care in underserved, minority communities such as those in inner-city Chicago."

Chicago, like most urban areas where pollutants and allergens are abundant, has a high asthma prevalence rate. In fact, the Windy City has the highest death rates for asthma in the entire country. Asthma is also the number one reason for school absenteeism and emergency room visits, and it is the leading cause of hospitalizations for children in the area.

Those reasons form the backbone for why Miller helped create a small Mobile C.A.R.E. fleet of asthma van clinics that educate urban children and parents about effective ways to treat the condition. "A mobile delivery model was chosen because it offers low-income families, with limited transportation and time, an accessible and efficient option for receiving medical treatment," explains Miller.

To date, the program has served thousands of kids, providing free, standard medical care and health education. A team of one physician, one nurse, and one driver/clinical assistant in each van helps diagnose asthma and provides follow up medical care that includes physical check ups on ears, throat, and lungs. They also perform environmental allergen skin testing and provide one-on-one education on asthma management and how to properly use medications and related equipment, such as inhalers.

A third party consultant has found that participants in Mobile C.A.R.E. significantly decreased their symptoms of asthma and missed less school and work days than prior to their care. Meanwhile, the number of emergency department visits per participant per month decreased by 62 percent, and the number of days of hospitalization per child per month decreased by 71 percent, after five visits to the mobile clinic.

"We are pleased with these results," says Miller, "and look forward to continuing the positive trend."

In investigating the situation in Chicago, Connect for Kids learned about several other urban asthma mobile clinics. We asked health educators from various communities to share insights from their programs. Their answers can be found by clicking on cities in the resource map below. As we receive more information on asthma mobile clinics nationwide, we will add to this resource.

To share information about mobile asthma efforts in your community, email info@connectforkids.org [1].