Stories from the field:

Oregon Asthma Resource Bank materials have helped facilitate effective asthma management

"A Hispanic family in Eastern Oregon was having difficulty getting asthma under control with two boys, one age 12, one age 8 months old. I spoke with the mom, with an interpreter, and completed an asthma assessment for each of the boys. The mom's comment was, "No one has asked us questions like this." I mailed a peak flow meter and two Asthma Action Plans in Spanish to the mom. I also called the provider's office and spoke to staff member responsible for patient education. I provided the website address for the Resource Bank. A one month follow-up with the mom was done. The mom's comment was, "All is good now. No more trouble. We know what to do now."

~Laura Huckaba RN, BSN Care Coordinator, Family Care Inc.

"One member was so lethargic, depressed, fatigued to the point that it took him all day to get ready to go to one physician's appointment. This gentleman was taking his inhalers in the reverse order. [I provided] education about the correct way to use the inhalers, education about peak flows, and how to handle an asthma flare...[I mailed him] an Asthma Action Plan ...review with the PCP at the next appointment. I followed up with the PCP [regarding] concern about this gentleman's knowledge level, level of function and a one month follow-up was done with this member. I thought I'd gotten the wrong number. The gentleman was almost animated. He describes his life as totally different. He 's sleeping well, awakens rested, bounces out of bed and is ready to meet the day in about 20 minutes. It's been life-changing for this gentleman. The materials available on the Resource Bank were certainly a big part of making that possible."

~Laura Huckaba RN, BSN Care Coordinator, Family Care Inc.

"Since I have been in practice I have found [the Resource Bank materials] very useful for several reasons. They are concise, clear and easy to access. I work with a lot of Spanish speaking families and it is a great addition to my asthma teachings. I have recently been working with Marian Polk IPA on an asthma project. This project consists of seeing patients that they have identified with asthma and evaluating what severity of asthma they have. Any patient with persistent asthma I see on a monthly basis or even more often if needed. The materials I use in my education are the Asthma Action Plan, "What is Asthma", and "Asthma Triggers". I will be giving a workshop in July and my booklet that the patients will be receiving consists of most of the [Resource Bank] handouts. I cannot say that I have heard from any patients on the handouts but I know that when I use them they seem to pay attention and ask very appropriate questions and this tells me that they are listening."

~Tami Kochan, RN