American Lung Association Applauds Governor Reynolds for Signing Bill that Allows Schools in Iowa to Stock Asthma Medication

Kristina Hamilton, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Iowa, issued the following statement in response to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signing HF 771 into law, a measure that will allow schools in Iowa to stock asthma medications for student use.

“The Lung Association thanks the Iowa General Assembly for passing, and Governor Reynolds for signing HF 771 that will allow schools in Iowa to provide more immediate access to medications for students with asthma. Specifically, the bill allows schools to maintain a supply of asthma medications, which students with asthma or who are in respiratory distress can use if necessary. Asthma can be a deadly disease if flare-ups are not treated immediately, so this bill has the potential to save lives for schools that take advantage of this authority.

“Asthma impacts millions of lives and has a tremendous impact on our nation’s healthcare system and economy. In the U.S., over 25 million Americans, including 5.1 million children have asthma. Asthma is also responsible for more than $80 billion annually in economic costs and causes more than 5.2 million missed school days and 8.7 million missed days of work nationwide.

“Now that HF 771 is law, the Lung Association encourages schools in Iowa to take the next step and put in place policies that allow the school to stock asthma medications. The Lung Association, as part of its Asthma Medications in Schools project, has a set of materials on this topic that may provide assistance on our Lung.org website.”

Photo caption: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds with American Lung Association staff and Local Leadership Board Members, Iowa state legislators (Senator Brad Zaun, Representative Tom Jeneary and Senator Amy Sinclair) and representatives from the Iowa School Nurses Organization at the June 14th bill signing ceremony.