Local healthcare resources for asthma

All of the medical clinics listed below are members of the King County Asthma Forum and provide quality, low-cost medical care. You will need to ask about insurance and fees when you call to make an appointment.

Public Health Centers in King County
Public Health - Seattle & King County never turns anyone away regardless of ability to pay. Check individual Public Health Centers for clinic hours and call to schedule an appointment. Onsite Application Workers can help you enroll in free or low-cost health insurance.
Youth Health Services
Low-cost or no-cost healthcare services for teens enrolled in Seattle Public Schools.
Asthma Outreach Program - Odessa Brown Children's Clinic
Children and Teens Clinic - Harborview Medical Center
- Routine check ups, hearing and vision screenings and immunizations for children from birth through age 18.
- Health education and disease prevention, illness treatments, confidential teen services and developmental evaluations.
- Special Needs Clinic for families in high-risk social and health situations; and the Community House Calls program coordinating outreach services for East African, Cambodian and Vietnamese families.
Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Clinics
Comprehensive healthcare to families and individuals who have difficulty accessing care.
Community Health Centers of King County
Comprehensive healthcare, including dental care, for individuals and families

^ back to top

Affordable health insurance

Medicaid and CHIP insurance
Many children in Washington can get free or low-cost health insurance. Many families qualify and don't even know it. In addition to medical care, this insurance covers dental, vision and mental health or substance abuse counseling. It's easy to apply!
Community Health Access Program (CHAP)
Many children in Washington, citizens and some non-citizens, can get free or low-cost health insurance.

Reducing triggers in the home

These are programs that work with families to make their home or apartment a healthier place to live. Some programs are only available to families with low incomes. Contact the program directly to find out about income and age requirements or call the King County Asthma Forum at (206) 205-0523.

Better Homes for Asthma - Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Works with families to reduce asthma triggers and improve the health of those who have asthma. Up to $10,000 is available for eligible families. For more information call (206) 205-0523.
Master Home Environmentalist - American Lung Association of Washington
- Free home environmental assessments from trained volunteers
- Education about health risks associated with pollutants in the home
- Information on no-cost/low-cost ways to reduce home health risks
- No eligibility requirements
- Contact Robin Evans Agnew at (206) 441-5100.

For children and teens: Learning about asthma

Asthma Camps - American Lung Association
The American Lung Association® of Washington's Asthma Camps are for children with asthma who are on prescribed daily medication. Each camp provides 24-hour medical supervision by physicians, nurses practitioners, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists.

BAM! - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
BAM! was created to answer kids' questions on health issues and recommend ways to make their bodies and minds healthier, stronger, and safer. BAM! also serves as an aid to teachers, providing them with interactive activities to support their health and science curriculums that are educational and fun.

Asthma Busters - American Lung Association
Interactive website for kids ages 7 - 14.

What's Asthma All About? - Neomedicus and Merck
A website for teens or adults with a video that demonstrates how asthma affects the lungs. Available in Spanish.

Teens Against Tobacco Use - American Lung Association
Teaches young people about tobacco use and how to become advocates for tobacco-free communities.

Get Asthma Help - Asthma Initiative of Michigan
Includes asthma games for children under 7 in addition to information for parents and teens.

Breatherville, USA - The Allergy Network and Mothers of Asthmatics
An extensive prize-winning website for parents and children. Children can learn about asthma and allergies through games and stories.

Asthma for Kids - Asthma Society of Canada
A fun and interactive website.

The Asthma Wizard - National Jewish Medical and Research Center
Interactive website that teaches kids about asthma.

^ back to top

For parents and caregivers: Learning about asthma

King County Asthma Forum
KCAF brings together people living with asthma, people in health care, schools, and community agencies. It is a place where people who care about asthma come together to improve asthma care in our community. There are many ways to be involved and everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact Maythia Airhart at 206-205-0523 or at somaythia.airhart@metrokc.gov.
The Allergy Network and Mothers of Asthmatics
An extensive prize-winning website for families. Adults can take free online classes to learn about asthma.
Allergy conditions - The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
List of related allergy topics.
American Lung Association of Washington
Provides information and links. You can also sign up for the Breathe Easy Network, a daily e-mail reports of air quality conditions in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.
Children's Hospital and Medical Center
General information about children and asthma
National Jewish Medical and Research Center
General information about allergies and asthma as well as advice for managing asthma. They also offer the LUNG LINE®, a way to talk or e-mail a specialized respiratory nurse if you have a question about asthma, allergies or other lung disease.

For parents and caregivers: Asthma research projects

Research projects can offer many families a way to get medical care, new asthma medicines, and other resources. Research projects often have strict rules for who can participate. For example, only children of a certain age, living in a certain city or neighborhood, or within certain income guidelines. Each research project will be different and each family needs to decide whether being part of a research project will benefit their child.

If you are interested in participating in a research project, ask your child's medical provider for current projects in your community. If you find a research project that you are interested in, visit the University of Washington Health Sciences Center website for questions you might ask the researcher and other important information.

See also: Northwest Allergy and Asthma Center - Search for current research projects.

^ back to top