Taking Action on Asthma
Brought to You by Children's Hospital Los AngelesPediatricians in the CHLA Health Network are Helping Children with Asthma – and Their Parents – Breathe Easy
For one Los Angeles mom, going on a business trip had always meant coming home to find her son’s asthma out of control.
But not anymore. Thanks to the new Asthma Action Plan provided by her CHLA Health Network affiliate pediatrician, her husband can confidently manage their child’s asthma in her absence. When she returned home from her latest trip, their son was breathing easy.
The family’s experience is one of many patient success stories from the CHLA Health Network, a premier network of pediatricians affiliated with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Launched in 2016, the network has quickly grown to include more than 140 independent physicians caring for 260,000 patients across Los Angeles County and surrounding areas.
Selected for their outstanding reputations, affiliate physicians enjoy close access to the world-class specialists in the CHLA Medical Group and work to deliver innovative, seamless care aligned with the latest treatment protocols and research developed at CHLA.
“Our affiliate pediatricians are committed to providing the highest-quality integrated care for their patients,” says Bhavana Arora, MD, medical director for the CHLA Health Network. “The goal is to continually raise the level of care for children in the communities where they live.”
Empowering Families
One area where the network is already making a difference is asthma care. Asthma affects more than 1 million children in California, nearly 60 percent of whom had an asthma flare-up in the last year—a situation that often sends kids to the emergency room.
“Many parents don’t have enough knowledge about this condition,” Arora notes. “They may not understand the importance of their child’s medicines and how they work, or how to manage their child’s asthma at home.”
Participating pediatricians receive a wealth of resources to empower their patients—including materials to help parents and kids better understand asthma and its treatments and a simple, one-page Asthma Action Plan outlining how parents should respond to specific symptoms at home.
Affiliate pediatricians also share best practices with each other and learn the latest evidence-based treatment protocols from CHLA specialists. In addition, CHLA Health Network staff provide training and support to help practices implement new asthma tools, including patient questionnaires, action plans and hands-on instructions for using inhalers.
“This education can make a world of difference for patients,” says Cindy Loth-Wiggins, quality improvement coordinator for the CHLA Health Network. “Pediatricians are telling us that parents love it.”
“The goal is to keep kids out of the hospital—and we are making progress toward that goal,” says Arora.
CHLA Tips on Managing Your Child’s Asthma:
Tips from Ronald Ferdman, MD, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles allergist-immunologist
- Know your child’s asthma triggers; avoid them and respond to them.
- Let your kids play. Proper medication allows for physical activities.
- Coughing, not wheezing, can be the first sign of an asthma flare-up.
- Use the controller daily even if your child appears healthy.
- Start quick-relief medicine at the first sign of a cold.
For more information, go to www.CHLA.org/AsthmaTips
To find a CHLA Health Network pediatrician in your community, go to www.CHLA.org/HealthNetwork
Our CHLA Health Network pediatricians practice in Agoura Hills, Bakersfield, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Camarillo, Carson, Encino, Glendale, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Rolling Hills Estates, San Dimas, San Marino, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Valencia, West Covina, West Hills and Westlake Village.