Ohio Association of School Nurses

Kate King MS LSN RN BSN, Legislative Liaison

/614-571-7639

OASN Position Statement HB 39

  • The Ohio Association of School Nurses (OASN) has a mission to promote optimal wellness among Ohio's school children and their communities to support their educational success. Identification and response to children with asthma is among the top issues in the health of children at school.
  • Asthma is the number 1 chronic disease reported to schools.
  • 4.3millionadditionalpeoplewerediagnosedwithasthmabetween2001and2009,bringingthetotalnumberofAmericanswithasthmato25million.
  • Ofthe25millionAmericanscurrentlydiagnosedwithasthma,justover7millionarechildren.
  • Nationally 14.4 million school day absences have been reported.
  • Approximately 419,006, (13.7%) children have been told they have asthma in Ohio
  • Over one in five African-American children in Ohio have been diagnosed with asthma, asignificantly higher rate than for white, Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander children.
  • Obese children are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than children who arenormal weight or underweight.
  • In Ohio, nearly one in five children at or below the poverty line have asthma. Children in households that earn 300 percent of poverty level or more are significantly less likely to have asthma.
  • According to Nationwide Childrens Hospital, asthma rates have increased and are higher than Ohio and the U.S. Our community’s healthcare system needs to improve asthma identification in children and treatment follow-through.
  • Currently,schools in Ohio may store and administer asthma rescue inhalers to school children as long as there is a patient specific prescription, parent/guardian permission and a parent/guardian supplied inhaler. Students may also self carry prescribed inhaler with a specific prescription from a physician and parent permission.
  • If a child who does not have a prescribed asthma inhaler has an asthma emergency at school, the school nurse is often stuck in the dilemma of using another child’s inhaler, which is illegal, or waiting for EMS which could result in the death of a child.
  • According to a 2003 research study, despite there being a lack of direct evidence of the effectiveness of providing emergency inhalers to schools, the balance of evidence at present suggests the benefits outweigh any possible harm.
  • Approximately 60% of asthma deaths in children came from a sudden asthma attack. A sudden asthma attack is an overwhelming—versus gradual—onset of symptoms. Sudden attacks may be fatal within an hour.
  • While this intervention does not replace the need for full-time school nurses in every building, stock non-patient specific asthma rescue inhalers in schools, could save a child’s life. Asthma kills and emergency treatment with a rescue inhaler, followed by transport to the ER gives schools another tool to keep children safe at school.
  • Adoption of this bill would not only provide much needed emergency care for students in schools, but also increase education about asthma in the school community.

The Ohio Association of School Nurses is in full support of this bill. It is our hope that schools and school districts will stock asthma inhalers for any child who needs it as this is a best practice standard of care. On behalf of the membership of the Ohio Association of School Nurses, we appreciate your time and consideration.