Borough Wide
Put your hands together for talented tweens, Sofia, Angela, Leo, and Aaron, for being named winners in the HealthPlus Amerigroup’s Keeping Kids in School Asthma Program. The program uses an innovative approach to promote asthma awareness and control among children, adults and teachers to improve the quality of life for children living in the city with asthma.
Sofia, a fourth-grader at PS 1, garnered second place, while honorable mentions went to PS 160 third graders Leo and Aaron, and Angela, who is in fifth grade at PS 105.
Students in all five boroughs were tasked with drawing a unique page to promote asthma awareness in the city’s schools for inclusion in the annual calendar.
The winners were honored at New York City Department of Education headquarters and were presented with calendars, with the winning submissions and tickets to the New York City F.C. soccer match in July.
More than 1.5 million city residents suffer from asthma, the leading cause of missed school days and hospital stays for children in the city, said Jack Stephenson, plan president, HealthPlus Amerigroup.
“The Keeping Kids in School Asthma program has evolved over the last 14 years, but we keep the dialogue of asthma awareness current through student education and workshops for parents,” he said. “The calendar is a great way for young people to learn about asthma in a creative way, and there are some really talented kids who are highlighted this year.”
