Opportunity: Part Time work on a Mobile Pediatric Asthma Clinic visiting schools in Alameda County, East and West Contra Costa County and in January, Vallejo and Lower Solano County.
Organization: Prescott-Joseph Center for Community Enhancement, Inc, West Oakland, (Prescott Joseph Center), a non-profit community, that has been in Asthma Education since 1992 and the Breath Mobile program has been operating here since September 2009.
Detailed description: Medical Specialists needed Pediatricians, Allergists-Must have experience with Pediatric Asthma. We see kids 3mo-19 years. Guillermo will check out. (see below for further detail)
Location: Prescott Joseph Center, West Oakland
Time required: Monday through Friday. We are on school sites 9-3:30 pm. Clinics start at 9 am Minimum time - 8 to 16 hours per week once or twice a month.
Compensation: $72 per hour
Malpractice: Prescott-Joseph center pays for. We use the Doctor's Company.
Contact person: Washington Burns M.D.
Prescott-Joseph Center; Administrative Director, Breathmobile program
Contact Person from TPMG: None available
Updated: December 14, 2019
Further Detailed Description: Low-income families who have children who have been diagnosed with asthma between the ages of 3 months to 19 years old in the Pittsburg, Concord, Martinez and Bay Point CDC areas are the target population for the Breathmobile Pediatric Asthma Clinic. The 2010 census estimates the 2016 median household income of those in Pittsburg and Bay Point CDP as significantly below the median income of $82,848.00 for Contra Costa County in general. According to the 2014 CDC Report Asthma Prevalence in the United States, people with lower annual household income are more likely to have asthma. In addition, low-income families are more likely to either not have health care, or have decreased access to health care – and therefore are not able to take advantage of the regular managed healthcare that proves critical to controlling asthma. Without regular care families resort to 911 calls, emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and end up missing school and parent's work days. It is critical for these families and patients to learn about how to manage their asthma, and how to understand and eliminate exposure to triggers. Please see attached graph from California Breathing Department of Public Health.
The Breathmobile (BMO) goes to schools where the school district has given approval and the school principal approves to see children ages 3 months-19 yrs. old with asthma every 6-8 weeks. The child has to be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. The children are thoroughly evaluated with vital signs, Body Mass Index (BMI), It he BMI is elevated, they are asked about a family history of Diabetes and if positive, the child is labeled Pre-Diabetic. They then have Spirometry with Pulmonary Function. They are treated with inhalation Albuterol if necessary. All of the data is passed on to the Provider on Board (MD or Nurse Practitioner) who does a history and Physical, prepares an asthma action plan and sends them back to a nurse, medical assistant or Respiratory therapist. The asthma action plan is review, medications are reviewed, asthma triggers in the home are reviewed, and they are shown how to clean inhalers and other asthma devices. This education is done every time the patient and families come on board. The families learn about their disease. If families follow the asthma action plan and keep their appointments, their asthma is in control by the third visit. PJC has been in asthma education since 2001 and doing the BMo for 10 years. During this time, we have been in Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco, Alameda County, West Contra Costa and East Contra Costa County. We have seen over 3,000 patients and in Pittsburgh since August 2018. Pittsburgh is growing rapidly.
Low-income people particularly Latinos and African-Americans tend to use the emergency room visits as an escape mechanism when albuterol inhalers failed them. They are also less likely to attend clinics after the ER visits and less likely to buy controller medications. The Breathmobile program reduces ER visits, hospitalizations and school absenteeism by 75-80% if patients follow the asthma action plan and keep their appointments. Families involved help with the evaluation by giving antidotal information about ER visits, hospitalizations and school absenteeism to the Breathmobile program at every visit. The letter from Dr. Rejois Frazier-Myers is an example of someone from the community's evaluation.