About Us

The SA Kids BREATHE program was created with the South Texas Asthma Coalition with the purpose to address high hospitalization rates in children with asthma. The goal of the program is to improve the lives of children with asthma by increasing school attendance and improving the management of asthma.  

The program, a community-driven initiative, has an Advisory Council comprised of nearly a dozen community advisors from different fields. 

High Hospital Discharge Rates for Asthma in Bexar County.

What services does SA Kids BREATHE provide?

We meet with families that have children with asthma. We come to their homes (virtual or in-person) to improve asthma control. Education and support is provided over a 12 month period.

• 5 to 6 visits over a 6-month period
  • 3-4 at Home
  • 1 with Health Care Provider
  • 1 with School or Daycare
• Check with family over an additional 6-month period, if needed.

Is there a cost?

• No! This is a FREE city program.

Who provides these services?

• Community Health Workers (CHWs)
• Guided by a Certified Asthma Educator and Registered Respiratory Therapist
• Translation services available

What will I learn?

• How to use asthma devices
• Home review for triggers: allergens or irritants that make asthma worse
• Value of an Asthma Action Plan
• About your child’s asthma medicine
• Connecting with your child’s health care team
• Connecting with school nurse
• Referrals to community resources

Program Eligibility

• Ages 3-17 at start of program
• Lives within the City of San Antonio at start of program
• At least one of these criteria for asthma:
• 1 hospitalization in past year
• 2 or more emergency, urgent care, or acute care visits in past year (virtual or in-person)
• 2 or more documented steroid bursts within past year
• 2 or more unscheduled school treatments in past week
• Missing 10% or more of school days in past year

Is there a cost?

• No! This is a FREE city program.

Who can refer to the program?

• Anyone

Such as

• Caregivers
• School Nurses with Parental Consent
• Health Care Providers
• Hospital or Clinic Systems
• Managed Care Organizations

Caregivers: How Do I refer my child to the program?

• Please call the program directly at 210-207-7282

Health Care Providers: How do I refer my patient to the program?

• Please print out and complete the referral form.
• Note: There is a place on the form to document that you informed the patient's caregivers of your referral.
• Note: The linked PDF is two pages with the first page being an overview of the program. The second page is the actual referral form.


• Send completed referral to our secure fax: 210-207-9757 or via email.

School Nurses: How do I refer my student to the program?

• You can provide our program information to the parents of your student, following your district protocol. The parents can call our team at 210-207-7282
• Or after obtaining parental consent, you can submit a referral form to our program.
• Please print out and complete the referral form.
• Note: There is a place on the form to document that you informed the student's caregivers of your referral.
• Note: The linked PDF is two pages with the first page being an overview of the program. The second page is the actual referral form.


• Send completed referral to our secure fax: 210-207-9757 or via email.

Recent Videos

• Short Program Overview – April 2021
• English Video
• Spanish Video

• Long Program Overview – April 2021
• English Video
• Spanish Video

• Great Day SA – Interview – April 7, 2021
• SA Live – Interview – April 7, 2021

Earlier Videos

• Great Day SA – Interview – October 21, 2020
• News4 – Interview – June 25, 2019
• KSAT News9 – Interview August 12, 2019

Allergies & Asthma

• Allergy Factsheet - HUD ^(PDF)
• Asthma Factsheet - HUD ^(PDF)
• Asthma - CDC

Recipes For Green Cleaning Products

• English
• Spanish

Asthma Action Plan (AAP)

Everyone with asthma should have a written AAP. The AAP provides you with information and instructions on how to manage you or your child’s asthma. The AAP follows a three-zone, “traffic light” scheme, progressing from a green to a yellow to a red zone.

The AAP tells caregivers what to do about you or your child’s asthma. This could include family members, parents, grandparents, foster parents, school nurses, teachers, and after school care staff.

The AAP is prepared by your physician and it:

• Describes concerning asthma symptoms to help you recognize when symptoms get worse.
• Tells you what medications to take right away.
• Tells you what to do in an emergency.

NOTE: All caregivers and the school nurse should have a copy of the AAP.

For Caregivers and School Nurses

• Caregivers: Please give the AAP flyer to your child’s doctor who can complete the AAP.
• School nurses: Please have the child take home a printout of the AAP flyer to their caregiver. The caregiver can give the printout to their child’s doctor who can complete the AAP.

AAP Flyer

• English
• español

For Physicians

The South Texas Asthma Coalition (STAC) is proud to announce their most updated STAC Asthma Action Plan (AAP), published in February 2024. This year, thanks to a wonderful team, STAC was able to revise the AAP to include the newest 2020 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Guidelines. Metro Health is happy to house this form for STAC

These revisions to the STAC AAP include:

• The addition of SMART/MART therapy – Single Maintenance And Reliever Therapy.
• Revisions to the wording in the pre-exercise area of the AAP.
• Making this a PDF document with drop down selections, as most clinics and hospitals are using electronic formats.
• Updating a significant number of drop-down choices, so the medications follow the new guidelines, and some wording edits.
• Requiring one of the two self-carry box selections (either allowing self-carry or not) to be checked prior to the physician signing the AAP.

Instructions

Review the guide to using the AAP Form.

AAP Form

Complete the AAP Form for each person or child with asthma and:

• If an adult: Please provide the patient with a copy.
• If a child: Please provide two copies of each AAP to the family.
  • A copy for the school nurse in English
  • A copy for the family in their preferred language, as these become available. (Currently only English is available.)

Contact Us

STAC will be conducting extensive outreach in 2024 to clinics and hospitals about the updated 2024 AAP. Mandie Tibball Svatek, MD, Chair of STAC, is happy to receive your feedback on the AAP or answer any questions. She can be reached through SA Kids BREATHE.