Dr. Jennifer Cole, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, was recently awarded an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Planning Funds grant. This grant will be utilized to enhance an asthma control community partnership for Mobile’s childhood asthma sufferers. The program, called the BreathMobile, is one of only a handful of such programs across the United States; recently started in Mobile it is based on the national BreathMobile outreach model.

Specifically, the grant will aid in broadening community collaboration between the BreathMobile, a program of the USA department of pediatrics, and parent groups, school nursing staff, the school system and community organizations. It also provides for planning meetings and needs assessments, to build and strengthening relationships with the BreathMobile program and volunteer programs throughout the city.

The CATCH Program is a national program of the AAP designed to improve access to health care by supporting pediatricians and communities that are involved in community-based efforts for children.