Relates to including rescue inhaler prescriptions for asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases for individuals under age nineteen in the statewide…

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Gustavo Rivera says this is needed

Rescue inhaler prescriptions, also known as quick-relief medications, are drugs that rapidly relax airway muscles and increase airflow, providing quick relief from acute respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Their effects typi- cally begin within 5 to 10 minutes and last for three to six hours. While they are occasionally used for rare chronic respiratory conditions like pulmonary hypertension, rescue inhalers remain a cornerstone of emergency treatment for acute asthma exacerbations in children. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children in the United States, affecting over 315,000 children in New York. The condition is characterized by significant racial and socioeconomic disparities, disproportionately impacting racial minorities, particularly Black and Puerto Rican children, as well as those from lower socioeconomic back- grounds. Neighborhoods like the Bronx are especially affected, with high rates of asthma-related exacerbations, as measured by emergency depart- ment visits. Asthma is also one of the leading causes of school absenteeism, with students with asthma missing an average of 2.3 more school days per year than those without asthma. To address these challenges and ensure the safe management of asthma exacerbations in schools, 24 states, including New York, have passed laws or issued administrative guidelines allowing schools to stock rescue inhaler medications for students with asthma. Despite the implementation of laws and guidelines, medication adherence among NYC public school students remains low. According to the New York State Department of Health's report Asthma Burden in NYC- January 2023, one of the primary barriers to effective medication delivery is the low completion and return rate of Medication Administration Forms (MAFs)among students in high-need areas like the Bronx, compared to other parts of the state. MAFs play a crucial role in enabling school administrators and staff, including nurses, to identify students who require medications such as rescue inhalers. However, many families face challenges in navigating the process of completing and submitting these forms. Streamlining this process and centralizing the information-similar to the state's approach to immunization records and blood lead level analyses-would provide schools with timely and accurate information about children's asthma conditions. This, in turn, would empower school staff to better manage and respond to asthma exacerbations. Addi- tionally, integrating rescue inhaler prescriptions into a centralized registry would not only facilitate better care but also allow for data- driven policies in the future by providing insights into inhaler usage patterns. The statewide immunization information system currently records and verifies immunizations and blood lead level data, ensuring schools, daycares, and camps have access to these critical details. Expanding this system to include asthma and other respiratory diseases for which rescue inhalers are prescribed would enhance the ability of caregivers and educators to respond promptly and effectively to medical emergencies related to these diseases. This proposal is consistent with expert's recommendations made during the Senate Health and Environmental Conservation Committees' Roundtable Discussion on Asthma, held in the Bronx in November 2019. One key recommendation from this discussion was to include information about children's asthma and other respiratory conditions in the statewide immunization registry. Implementing this change would equip schools with the necessary information to better assist children in managing their asthma, ultimately improving health outcomes and ensuring safer school environments.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.