by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Community Asthma Partnership recently was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Blue Foundation for a Healthy America, a philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.
Jeanne Torbett, executive director of CAP, said the money will be used to educate those afflicted with asthma and families of asthma suffers. Education, she said, is the primary tool for preventing asthma attacks and potentially needless trips to the hospital.
“We try to eliminate the emergency room visits through education,” said Torbett. “When we sign up a patient, a nurse goes to their home and does an environmental assessment.”
Torbett said environmental assessments are beneficial because they can help parents and asthma sufferers discover everyday problems that may trigger asthma attacks. For example, through Torbett’s partnership, one asthma sufferer who couldn’t sleep through the night was helped immensely by simply removing the fresh flowers that were kept in the house.
“Those flowers were driving the kid’s asthma crazy,” said Torbett.
The Blue Foundation annually awards up to $ 1 million in grants during a two-year cycle. Torbett said CAP was only one of nine organizations selected to receive the $50,000 grant, which is good for two years.
“The Blue Foundation’s goals are a great match for Community Asthma Partnership,” said Susan Towler, executive director of The Blue Foundation. “We are excited about having an opportunity to assist this organization in its service to the at-risk population of this community.”