Asthma Management Academy (AsMA)
What is the AsMA?
The Asthma Management Academy (AsMA) is a program of
California Breathing, the state asthma program. The AsMA trains
community health workers (CHWs) and other health educators how to deliver evidence-based asthma education to individuals and families with asthma.
The training incorporates hands-on activities about:
- Scope of asthma
- Asthma triggers, such as mold, pests, and smoking
- Asthma medications and delivery devices
- Guidelines-based assessment and monitoring tools, such as the Asthma Action Plan (AAP) and Asthma Control Test (ACT)
- Best Practices for home visits
More information about the AsMA and its impacts are in the sections below. You can also view all the infographics seen below in the
AsMA infographics (PDF)ā.
Impact of the AsMA
The impact of the AsMA is measured in the following ways:
- CHW knowledge and skills
- Impact on individuals with asthma
CHW Knowledge and Skills
AsMA participants build skills, knowledge, and competency in asthma education. Through competency testing conducted by a certified asthma educator (AE-C), AsMA participants demonstrated their increased asthma knowledge and newly developed skills after attending the AsMA.
Impact on Individuals with Asthma
One of the goals of the AsMA is to reduce the asthma burden in the most impacted communities. The AsMA has shown a positive impact on individuals with asthma through reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations, improved asthma control, and fewer missed work or school days.
Training Logistics
The AsMA is a no-cost training for CHWs and other health educators. It is a live, virtual three-day training facilitated by CHWs and an AE-C. The AsMA is available in English or Spanish. Each AsMA has up to 12 participants.
The information taught in the AsMA is based on the national asthma guidelines and adapted by the Association of Asthma Educators, the California Department of Public Health, and community-based organizations that conduct asthma home visiting. The AsMA curriculum focuses on adult learners and builds skills, knowledge, and competency through discussion, videos, and skill-building activities. Each participant receives an asthma education kit, which includes inhaler demonstration devices, a peak flow meter, spacer, participant manual, and access to AsMA Learning Videos which are available in
English or
Spanish.
Is your organization interested in the AsMA?