Press Releases
June 13, 2011
Childhood Asthma Will be Focus of Upcoming ‘Dinner with a Doctor’
St. Barnabas Hospital Doctors to Offer Answers on Asthma in English and Spanish
Persistent coughing. Trouble breathing. Missed school days. Emergency room visits and hospital stays.
This is the vicious cycle that many children and their parents live through as a result of childhood asthma. Over seven million children in the U.S. suffer from asthma, about nine percent of the total population. These numbers are even higher among African-American and Hispanic children, and those children who live in the inner cities. New York City has nearly twice the hospitalization admissions rate of children with asthma than the national average, and the Bronx has the highest rate in New York City.
Experts in childhood asthma at St. Barnabas Hospital will discuss the problems, the triggers that cause asthma, preventive measures and treatments at the next “Dinner with a Doctor.” The ABCs of Childhood Asthma: How Can I Help My Child? open to the public at no cost, will be held on Tuesday, March 15 (in English) and Wednesday, March 16 (Spanish) beginning at 6 p.m. in the Braker Building boardroom on the St. Barnabas Hospital campus (Third Avenue and 182nd Street).
“Asthma is a problem that can affect all children, but studies show that it is particularly devastating among our population,” said Dr. Alyson Smith, Director of Pediatric Allergy at St. Barnabas Hospital, who will be among the experts presenting. “It’s the leading cause of school absences, hospital admissions and emergency visits. And studies show that as a result of indoor and outdoor triggers, it’s a problem that is only growing worse.”
The upcoming “Dinner with a Doctor” event will explore the following:
• A understanding of those triggers that cause childhood asthma – such an animals, dust, mold, pollen, pollution, cockroaches, and tobacco smoke
• Emergency symptoms – breathing difficulties, bluish color to the face and lips, rapid pulse, sweating
• Testing – lung function tests, peak flow measurements, chest x-ray, allergy testing
• Treatments/prevention – avoiding triggers, monitoring symptoms, taking medication
Dr. Smith is board certified in pediatrics, and allergy and immunology. A graduate of New York Medical College, she trained at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center and Long Island College Hospital.
Presenting at the Spanish language event will be Dr. Julie Hurtado, an attending pediatrician at St. Barnabas Hospital. A graduate of medical school in Bogota, Colombia, Dr. Hurtado did much of her training at St. Barnabas Hospital. Board certified in pediatrics, she is an instructor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dinner with a Doctor
Dinner with a Doctor is held at St. Barnabas Hospital on a regular basis, with members of the medical staff available to discuss various health issues while attendees enjoy a light meal. Past events have included presentations on sleep disorders, heart care, diabetes, pain management, foot care and medication management. To meet the diverse needs of the people served by the hospital, the presentations are offered in English, Spanish and other languages.
“We encourage members of the communities we serve to take advantage of our Dinner with a Doctor series,” said Len Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at St. Barnabas Hospital. “It gives them a chance to meet some of the area’s best doctors and clinicians, and get answers to questions they may have on various health and medical topics. We view the upcoming presentation as an opportunity for people to learn more about childhood asthma, a problem that can be potentially devastating to their children and their families.”
Each event is limited to 60 people, with free parking available in the hospital’s Quarry Road parking lot. To RSVP, call Diana Loubriel at 718-960-9295.
Steven Clark/Howard Matzner
Andover Communications
(201) 947-4133
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