SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Metro Health District is helping children under 17 years old and their families learn how to manage their asthma as part of a free program.
Metro Health launched SA Kids Breathe in 2019 to help families keep kids with asthma in school and out of the emergency room.
Kesha Johnson said there is nothing like watching a child who can’t run and play because they tire and get out of breath.
Two years ago, Johnson said her daughter’s asthma was so bad that the child missed weeks of school and would struggle to breathe at night.
After participating in the SA Kids Breathe Children’s Asthma Program, her 8-year-old’s asthma is under control, Johnson said.
“She was waking up at night, waking up not being able to breathe,” Johnson said. “We had gotten as high as 34 days missing from school due to flare-ups. Last year, we missed eight school days. I’d say only three were asthma-related.”
The program, run by San Antonio’s Metro Health, began in 2019 and enrolls approximately 150 children under the age of 17. Five community health workers make home visits to teach families how to reduce triggers, demonstrate how to use inhalers and spacers, and connect households with medical providers, apartment managers and school nurses.
Paul Kloppe, an asthma manager with Metro Health, has been visiting Johnson’s home for two years.
“Simple devices, we think we know how to use, but just a few techniques — using things like spacers — can make a big difference in how much the medicine gets into the lungs," he said.
Johnson credited these small, practical changes for much of the improvement:
- Switching to all‑natural laundry products
- Removing triggers from the home
- Ensuring her daughter takes daily controller medications correctly
“The cost of not having a child’s asthma under control is in the thousands,” Johnson said, citing emergency visits and extra medication expenses.
Metro Health officials say the aim is straightforward: keep children healthy enough to run, play and stay in school while reducing emergency room visits. Kloppe said the program’s hands‑on education and coordination with schools and landlords are key to those goals.
“We want that healthy child running, playing. Keep them in school; keep them out of the emergency room, using their medicines correctly and just enjoying life,” Kloppe said.
Families interested in the free program can contact Metro Health for information on eligibility and enrollment.