Newswise — Students with asthma and anaphylaxis are carrying more in their backpacks as they return to school this fall. Thanks to new laws in 40 states and the District of Columbia, students have won the right to carry and self-administer life-saving asthma inhalers and auto-injectable epinephrine as prescribed by their physicians. It's a right that Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), a leading nonprofit patient advocacy and education organization, fought long and hard to win at the national and state levels.
But many parents and teachers are not aware of these state laws " or what they can do to ensure students know the "Right Way, Right Awayâ„¢" rules for responsible self-administration of these medications.
Nancy Sander, president and founder of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics, outlines five basic "Right Way, Right Away" self-medication steps every student with asthma or anaphylaxis must master. AANMA provides reference tools and conversation topics for parents, teachers and school nurses.
Ms. Sander is also prepared to discuss:"¢ Why students' asthma inhalers are changing and what the "final four" inhalers showing up in schools this fall will look like "¢ What parents, teachers and medical professionals should know about auto-injectable epinephrine devices before anaphylaxis occurs"¢ How to select student-friendly medications and devices"¢ Things that make kids wheeze, sneeze and choke at school"¢ Ways to prevent "rescue" situations with asthma and anaphylaxis"¢ States with and without laws protecting students with asthma and anaphylaxis
About Nancy SanderNancy Sander founded Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics in 1985 to help families like hers struggling to care for seriously ill children. With Ms. Sander's vision and determination, AANMA quickly grew from a small newsletter to an international organization for patients and medical professionals. Ms. Sander is a prolific writer of asthma and allergy publications, children's books and videos. She is also a frequent speaker at conferences nationwide, participates on asthma- and allergy-related committees and government panels, and testifies at the national and state levels on patients' rights to safe, reliable medications and health care.
About AANMAAllergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating suffering and death due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. AANMA's core areas of expertise are education, advocacy and community outreach. Our award-winning national publications " "Allergy & Asthma Today" magazine and "The MA Report" newsletter " and Breatherville.org Web site are consumer lifelines to medical news and healthy living. For more information, call 800.878.4403 or visit http://www.breatherville.org.
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