School-based Asthma Management Program (SAMPROâ„¢) Gains Endorsements

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America have joined the National Association of School Nurses and others in endorsing the white paper “Creation and Implementation of SAMPRO™: A School-based asthma management program.” We hope this endorsement will encourage more schools to adopt the program.

The SAMPRO™ toolkit was launched in early September to help asthmatic children live healthier lives with a four part system:

1. Creating a Circle of Support—The Circle of Support is a communication network centered around the child with asthma, consisting of clinicians, school nurses and families. The SAMPRO™ toolkit provides resources to foster good communication between all parties.
2. Developing and Sharing an Asthma Action Plan—School nurses need to be on the same page as the child’s doctor in the event of an asthma attack. The toolkit includes a standardized Asthma Action Plan in English and Spanish.
3. Comprehensive Education—Educational materials for school personnel and students are available in the toolkit. The materials include posters, games and role playing activities.
4. Assessing the Environment—Only 34% of schools work with the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure students are breathing clean air. SAMPRO™ encourages school personnel to take a closer look at possible asthma triggers and develop an Indoor Air Quality program that includes asthma management strategies.

Legislators in Congress are also working to make SAMPRO™ part of school practice. H.R. 4662 would leverage existing federal asthma grants to encourage improved school-based management of asthma. The bill has already attracted 55 bipartisan co-sponsors.

The SAMPRO white paper is currently endorsed by:

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
• American Thoracic Society
• Allergy & Asthma Network
• National Association of School Nurses
• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

To learn more about SAMPRO or access the toolkit, click here.