In 2012, the Missouri legislature passed HB 1188. The resulting legislation, Section 167.635.1, allows schools to stock “undesignated” asthma rescue mediation. This allows school nurses and trained staff to administer medication to students who do not have a prescription on file or do not have their prescription with them.
HB 1188 emboldened AAIR, then known as AAFA St. Louis, to launch the RESCUE program in the Greater St. Louis metro area. From 2012 – 2023, hundreds of schools in St. Louis and southern Illinois were equipped with free asthma medication and equipment.
Of the 120,000 children diagnosed in Missouri,
55% have asthma that is considered
“uncontrollable” or “unmanaged”.
In 2023, we launched the program statewide with the generous support of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Every public K-12 school is now eligible for life-saving medication, equipment, and training. Our goal is to support all children in Missouri who have uncontrolled asthma and may miss class due to an asthma attack. We assist schools in each step of the process, ensuring you can administer potentially life-saving treatments effectively.
Register
We’re excited to partner with your school and distribute asthma resources to every community across Missouri.
Submit Reports
We ask schools to submit regular reports about medicine and equipment usage so we can monitor RESCUE’s effectiveness.
Training
All individuals who sign up for RESCUE must complete a training. We offer virtual training in Missouri every other week as well as an on-demand training option.
If you are interested in group training for your staff please contact us at rescue@weareaair.org.
RESCUE is generously funded with a grant administered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This grant enables AAIR to obtain community and school district-wide prescriptions, purchase asthma equipment, and train school officials.