Please Co-Sponsor 2285 to Protect Students With Asthma
On behalf of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, I am writing to encourage you to cosponsor H.R. 2285, the School-Based Respiratory Health Management Act, sponsored by Representatives Phil Roe (R-TN) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD). This bipartisan legislation would increase the preference given in awarding certain allergy-related grants to states that allow trained school personnel to administer rescue medications for allergies and reversible lower airway disorders.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.6 percent of children between the ages of five and 11 years old, and 10.0 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 17, have asthma. Further, 47.5 percent of children under 18 with asthma have reported having one or more asthma attacks. As these statistics show, asthma and other reversible lower airway disorders impact a significant percentage of school-aged children, and these students deserve to pursue their studies without fear that an attack at school won’t be properly treated.
By encouraging schools to put action plans in place and train personnel to administer life-saving drugs when necessary, the School-Based Respiratory Health Management Act will benefit parents, students, teachers, and school administrators across the country. Please contact John Witherspoon in Rep. Roe’s office at john.witherspoon@mail.house.gov to add your name as a cosponsor to H.R. 2285.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.