Community Asthma Program

Empowering families with the knowledge and skills to manage asthma.

Above: CAP Practice Lead Emma Thomas teaching her client and her son how to safely use an inhaler.

Childhood asthma is the leading cause of paediatric emergency department presentations in Victoria, with children in Melbourne’s north and west presenting at a higher rate than those living in the rest of the state.¹

Due to a higher degree of socioeconomic disadvantage², this population can also face health and lifestyle risk factors that make children more vulnerable to chronic illness.

However, with the support of cohealth’s free Community Asthma Program (CAP), families across nine local government areas in Melbourne’s north and west can become empowered with the knowledge and skills to manage asthma.

For 20 years, the program has supported families with children aged from one to 17, working across Banyule, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Melton, Moonee Valley, Yarra and Wyndham LGAs.

Clients and their families work with a dedicated asthma nurse educator, who tailors a program to help understand asthma and its signs, triggers and symptoms, and to learn what they can do to better manage asthma and navigate available care.

“Any parent knows that having a child who is unwell can lead to lots of distress and worry,” says CAP Practice Lead Emma Thomas.

“So, we work with a very holistic focus to help empower families to be confident to understand not only their child’s asthma but to also advocate for their healthcare.”

2024/2025 saw great outcomes for clients and their families who completed the program.

Clients left with improved health outcomes, better managed asthma and fewer hospital presentations.

Families felt more confident managing asthma and felt positively about their child’s future.

The Community Asthma Program is an example of the strength of the community health model – empowering and enabling people who face barriers to healthcare through education, support and compassion.

“The most rewarding part of working in community health is the holistic focus of our program,” said CAP educator Emma Tarquino. “We’re empowering clients to feel confident to understand their child’s asthma, and encouraging them to advocate for their healthcare.”

Our Community Asthma Program is just one of the services we offer to support the health and development of children and their families. As we look to the future, we will continue to reach more people with our Child and Family Health service offering.

References

1. Department of Health, Victoria, “Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD), 2024-25”, Department of Health, Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, https://www.health.vic.gov.au/data-reporting/victorian-emergency-minimum-dataset-vemd, (accessed 24 June 2025).

2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2021”, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Belconnen, ACT, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/socio-economic-indexes-areas-seifa-australia/latest-release, (accessed 24 June 2025).