If you are in danger, call 911. If you need to exit this website quickly, click on the ESCAPE button. This button will immediately open a browser window for weather.com and replace your current window with google.com.
Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Asthma, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is a chronic lung disease that inflames the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.

    American Lung Association Asthma Basics
    The American Lung Association's Asthma Basics course is a free one-hour interactive online learning module designed to help people learn more about asthma. The course includes comprehensive resources: asthma medication devices, demonstration videos and downloads.

    Asthma Action Plans

    According to the latest Scope and Standards of Practice from the National Association of School Nurses and American Nurses Association, development of plans of care are a standard of nursing practice. Below are template plans which schools may adapt:

    Is the Asthma Action Plan Working?
    This guideline will help parents and nurses to assess whether a student's asthma action plan is appropriate.

    Use of Asthma Inhalers in Schools (Act 187 of 2004)
    In order to ensure that a student has immediate availability to their asthma medication, the Pennsylvania legislature amended the Public School Code, Section 1414.1 (see excerpt below) requiring schools to develop policies that allow students to carry and self-administer their asthma medication, under certain conditions.

    Pennsylvania School Code, Section 1414.1 Possession and Use of Asthma Inhalers and Epinephrine Auto-injectors
    This section of the law was updated in 2010 to include epinephrine auto-injectors.

    Asthma Medication Assistance Programs
    The Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin has compiled a list of coupon offers and prescription assistance programs for the most commonly prescribed asthma medications.

    NOTE: This webpage contains resources, including links to websites created by outside organizations. These resources are provided for convenience and do not constitute an endorsement by the Pennsylvania Department of Health of any viewpoints, products, or services offered or expressed within.​