CUPHD Invites Community to “Take a Breath of Fresh Air…”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2009
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
CUPHD Invites Community to “Take a Breath of Fresh Air…”
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and partners to provide FREE Asthma Educational Event
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) has partnered with the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Asthma Partnership, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide a FREE Asthma Educational Event on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Champaign Public Library. This event is open to all families, teachers, nurses and providers that are interested in learning more about asthma and will include guest speakers, on-site supervised childcare, fabulous door prizes and refreshments.
Guest speakers include:
- Donald Davison, Carle Clinic
Asthma 101: Asthma Basics and the Proper Use of Equipment
- Barbara Fiese, University of Illinois Families and Asthma
“Asthma is a serious disease, but it is manageable,” said Trisha Gillespie, Health Educator for CUPHD, “There have been many advancements in the field of asthma care in the past few years. CUPHD and our partners hope to share some of these advancements and dispel the many myths about asthma in a fun interactive way at this event.”
Asthma is a serious, sometimes life-threatening respiratory disease that affects the quality of life for millions of Americans. It is one of the most common long-term diseases of children. Asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Although there is no cure for asthma yet, asthma can be controlled through medical treatment and management of environmental triggers. Environmental triggers can include, but are not limited to, mold, dust mites and tobacco smoke.
Asthma can be controlled by knowing the warning signs of an attack, staying away from things that trigger an attack, and following the advice of a doctor or other medical professional.
Asthma affects a large number of people in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there are currently 16.2 Million adults and 6.7 million children diagnosed with asthma in 2008. Many more remain undiagnosed.
For more information about the CUPHD World Asthma Day Event, asthma programs at CUPHD, or any other CUPHD programs and services, please call 217-352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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