Check out our community flyer!
The Asthma Swimming Program (ASP) is Project HEALTH’s innovative response to one of DC’s most pressing pediatric health challenges. Asthma is the leading cause of ER visits, hospital admissions, and school absenteeism among children, and yet the most preventable cause of hospitalization. Asthma Swim is an after-school program for families with asthmatic children living in Wards 1 and 2. Through partnerships with physicians at Children’s National Medical Center and undergraduate volunteers from the George Washington University, ASP allows children to assume control of their health by:
- studying the science underlying their asthma
- developing take-home strategies for daily health management
- improving respiratory fitness through structured swimming lessons
- completing schoolwork to compensate for asthma-related school absences
The goal of the Asthma Swimming Program is to empower asthmatic children with the education and exercise to take control of their health. The program also strengthens the link between families and their doctors, which helps in monitoring the course and severity of a child’s asthma. Additionally, relationships formed with children and their families allow volunteers and physicians to address the children’s other academic and social needs.
See a video of our very first day in DC!
See a report on Asthma Swim produced by an American University graduate student!
(Videos in RealPlayer format)