East Harlem’s Asthma Counselor Program During Covid

Maintaining Service Continuity and Understanding Family Needs in a Community-Based Child Asthma Management Program

Bibliographic Data

ID21834867
AuthorsNicole Dreisbach (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, corresponding author), Safiya Campbell (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), Omar Neme Castillo (0000-0001-8509-7937, Mount Sinai Hospital), Omar Castillo (Mt Sinai Hospital), Hector Correa (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), Felipa Marquez Chien (Metropolitan Hospital Center), Dodrie Escoffery (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), Stephanie Plasencia (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene)
Year2025
Volume40
Issue7
Pages399-412
Publication date2025-10-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Work in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1937-190X • E-ISSN: 1937-1918
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19371918.2025.2509508
PMID40413788
OpenAlexW4410730073
LanguageEN
References cited27

Little is known about how child asthma management programs, and their participants, fared during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the primary modifications made to a child asthma management program in East Harlem, NYC, to maintain service continuity during this time. Two questions guide our analysis: 1) To what extent did the program's primary service delivery activities change between the year before the pandemic and the pandemic's first year?; and 2) To what extent did the needs of children and families in the program change between the year before the pandemic and the pandemic's first year? This study found fewer enrollments during the first year of the pandemic than the previous year. There was also a shift in social service needs, especially an increase in food insecurity during COVID's first year. The program's social workers were able to pivot to develop strategies for supporting these shifting needs

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Asthma · Asthma management · Business · Family medicine · Adolescent and Pediatric Healthcare · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Psychology · Virology