Lovingood backs children’s asthma program

VICTOR VALLEY – (PRESS RELEASE) The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has approved funds for a children’s asthma program administered around the County, including at 14 High Desert schools, Board Chairman Robert A. Lovingood announced.

“Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s Breathmobile program has been proven effective in sharply reducing emergency department visits, hospitalizations and school absenteeism,” Chairman Lovingood said.

The Breathmobile is an asthma clinic on wheels. Asthma is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism as well as the number one reason children go to the emergency room. The prevalence of asthma within the County of San Bernardino is higher than many other Southern California counties.

The Breathmobile staff consists of a pediatric specialty practitioner, a licensed vocational nurse and a respiratory therapist who are specially trained in asthma case management. ARMC currently operates two Breathmobiles, one visiting schools in the Inland Valley and the other in the High Desert area of the county.

The Breathmobile travels to 40 different school sites throughout the County of San Bernardino, rotating to each site every six weeks. During the school hours the Breathmobile staff sees patients that attend the school site as well as any child referred from the surrounding area. A complete evaluation, examination, care plan and extensive patient family education are completed at the time of the visit. Follow-up visits require a shorter time span than the initial evaluation. The average visit requires less than 30 minutes of the child’s day. Providing care at a familiar, convenient site, often within walking distance for parents without transportation, has greatly improved patient participation and compliance with follow-up care.

To contact the Breathmobile for an appointment, call (909) 498-6277. Following are Breathmobile sites around the High Desert. 

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