Asthma Care

Asthma affects a disproportionate number of children and adults in our community. At NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, we have experts dedicated to providing individualized care to patients with asthma in order to achieve a reduction in missed days of work or school and to keep emergency room visits to a minimum.

Patients have access to two dedicated asthma programs: asthma treatments for kids and adults.

Children’s Asthma Program

The Children’s Asthma Program (CAP) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary program created to address the disproportionate asthma rates among East Harlem’s youngest residents. The program staff includes a pulmonologist and allergy/immunology specialist, health educator, and a registered nurse (RN). The program provides culturally-sensitive, bilingual education for patients and their families. The team reviews all Emergency Department visits and hospital admissions. Follow-up appointments are given to the child. Home visits and intensive case management are provided as necessary. The CAP has documented significant reductions in emergency visits and hospitalizations. CAP appointments are available Monday to Friday and on Tuesday evenings. The program is part of the East Harlem Asthma Working Group.

Adult Asthma/Primary Care Program

The Adult Asthma/Primary Care program offers asthma and primary care in one outpatient setting to adults with difficult-to-manage asthma, as reflected by hospitalizations, recurrent emergency visits, or frequent requirement for oral steroids. The service, supervised by the hospital’s Pulmonary Department, has daily sessions and has had excellent success in reducing emergency visits and hospitalizations. In addition, a traditional asthma session is held on Monday afternoons where patients are referred for assistance in asthma management.