In a place where asthma has long posed serious health challenges for children, a powerful new partnership is helping kids breathe a little easier.

In 2025, Nemours Children’s Health and Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) launched the Children’s Asthma Education and Prevention Program (CAEPP) — a collaborative initiative to improve asthma education and outcomes for school-aged children in Lakeland. The program kicked off at Lincoln Elementary using the American Lung Association’s Open Airways for Schools curriculum.

Why it matters

Lakeland ranks among the top 10 most challenging places to live with asthma, climbing as high as number two in 2023.
Local hospitals are seeing a high percentage of children with severe asthma, particularly in the LRH Emergency Department and Nemours Pulmonary Clinic.
Asthma-related school absences and emergency visits are all too common — but this program aims to change that.

Dr. Joi Lucas is part of the team leading a new asthma education initiative for school-aged children in Lakeland. | Photo provided by Lakeland Regional Health Nemours Children's Hospital

Program goals

Decrease pediatric asthma-related ER visits by 25%
Reduce school absences due to asthma by 25%
Improve medication compliance by 25%

“This is personal for our community,” said Joi Lucas, MD, a Pediatric Pulmonologist at Nemours Children’s Health in Lakeland. “We have a disproportionate number of children with severe asthma. Education is vital — and it works. The children in our program were excited to become ‘asthma experts.’”

Building a healthier future

The initiative builds on LRH’s 2023 recognition as an Asthma-Friendly Hospital, and its partnerships with the Florida Asthma Coalition and Florida Asthma Home Visit Program. Looking ahead, the team plans to expand to more schools and offer experiences like asthma camp at Camp Boggy Creek.

By meeting kids where they are — in schools and their communities — Nemours Children’s and LRH are creating a healthier tomorrow for children across Polk County.

Learn more about Nemours' Lakeland location

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