Dear Friend

It has been an interesting start to the year with heartbreaking stories and images of the fires burning across our country. The impact of the fire and smoke has been tremendous, with people who have never had issues with their lungs also experiencing discomfort and difficulty breathing. The consequence of the fires will be long-felt, and the true extent of loss is still yet to be known. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been and continues to be affected by this crisis.

We remain optimistic for the year ahead as our sense of community and determination to improve people's quality of life remains as strong as ever. With the new year comes many new beginnings. Returning to school, creating a new years’ resolution, resetting for the future. We have a number of projects launching in 2020 and we are excited to share the journey with you.

With gratitude and best wishes,

Getting asthma-ready for school

There is a notable increase in hospital visitations due to asthma during the first few months of a new school year, with 20-25% of asthma related admissions for children taking place in February!

The change of routine during the holidays and added stress of returning to school are just two reasons for this increase.

Rest assured, there are a range of things you can do to support your child in returning to school and ensuring they are managing their asthma as best as possible and receiving the support they need from the education staff.

Centralising children's asthma services

In coming weeks, we will be commencing a new service for children with asthma and other related respiratory conditions. This program has been developed following feedback from families describing the difficulties they experience in obtaining a diagnosis, responsive treatment and assessment for their children in a timely manner.

The Paediatric Respiratory Hub will combine paediatric respiratory testing, an appointment with an Asthma WA Respiratory Health Educator as well as a consultation with the Paediatric Respiratory Specialist if required. This will aim to be a coordinated appointment in one location, feeding back to those people involved in the child’s care.

We hope that through this service, we will be able to alleviate some of the stress and expense associated with time off school and work, dealing with waitlists and reducing the time and cost of travel to and from clinics, particularly for people who live in regional WA.

This service is made possible thanks to the generous support of Telethon 7 and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation.

For more information on this exciting pilot project or how to refer, call us on 1800 278 462, follow us on Facebook or visit our website

Reducing the carbon footprint of asthma inhalers

Coming soon in February, we will be launching our Asthma Alert pilot service. This program aims to provide warning to people affected by asthma or other lung conditions to smoke events caused by prescribed burns along with tips and tools on how to reduce the impact of these events.

Follow Asthma WA on Facebook to keep up to date with when the service will be live or visit our website for more information.

This pilot program is made possible thanks to funding from the Commonwealth Government and support from WA State Emergency Management Committee and developed in collaboration with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Department of Health.

The Activ8 for Asthma training is FREE and available online for anyone who works with children in sport or has an interest in better understanding asthma and knowing what to do in an asthma emergency.

Find out more on our website and share with anyone you think would benefit from this course. The more people who understand asthma and how to manage the condition, the greater our children’s involvement and enjoyment of sport will be.

The Activ8 for Asthma online training was made possible due to the support of Telethon 7.

Our Asthma WA Online Shop offers a range of items from spacers and face masks to Asthma Action Kits and dust mite bedding. If you are due for a refresh, jump on over and take a look.

If you are unsure of how to use your spacer, want to check your technique or discuss your asthma care, perhaps it’s time to book in for a FREE education session with one of our amazing team.

We have been so lucky to receive generous support from a number of people and organisations over recent months, many of whom have been long-term supporters of our work.  Thank you to:

• Everyone who kindly gave to our recent Christmas Appeal
• The Stan Perron Charitable Foundation for their ongoing support further to supporting our new Paediatric Respiratory Hub
• Lions Club International for their contributions for over 17 years
• Mr and Mrs Sarich whose support spans more than 30 years with Mr Sarich becoming an Asthma WA associate in 2014 for his outstanding contribution to the Asthma WA vision and mission
• Combined Charities and Mal Atwell bingo evenings

These donations make an enormous difference to the vital work we do in the WA community. Thank you.

Dates for your calendar

• 26 January – Australia Day
• 3 February – Term 1 school resumes
• 22 February – Rottnest Channel Swim