Asthma flareups can be frightening, but families in King County don’t have to face them alone. For more than 20 years, the King County Community Health Worker (CHW) Asthma Program at Public Health – Seattle & King County has helped children and adults breathe easier, with fewer emergency room visits, fewer missed school or work days, and a better quality of life.

The program is now expanding through partnerships with local organizations, African Community Housing & Development, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Villa Comunitaria, and with the University of Washington to study how HEPA air cleaners improve asthma.

Trusted Support, Practical Solutions

Community Health Workers are public health workers who share language, culture, and lived experience with the families they serve. They connect by phone, video, or home visits to explain asthma, guide families through health care, and suggest simple changes at home, and daily routines. 

Each family receives four personalized sessions over three to five months. CHWs:

  • Identify triggers like dust, mold, pests, fragrances, and secondhand smoke.
  • Review symptoms, medicines, and how asthma affects daily life.
  • Teach the difference between controller and rescue medicines, and how to use inhalers and spacers.
  • Set realistic goals and coordinate with health care providers (with permission).

Eligible families also receive free supplies to reduce triggers, HEPA air cleaners, vacuums, mattresses, pillow covers, safer cleaning kits, food storage containers, and pest traps. CHWs show families how to use these tools and share lowcost tips like “shoesoff at the door” or switching to fragrancefree cleaners.

Tackling Inequities Near SeaTac

Asthma affects people across ages and incomes in King County, but its most serious impacts fall hardest on communities of color and neighborhoods with higher poverty and air pollution. Near SeattleTacoma International Airport, hospitalization rates are much higher than and life expectancy is lower as compared to the rest of King County.

To address these inequities, the Airport Air Quality and Asthma (AAA) Project expanded the King County CHW Asthma Program in communities within 10 miles of SeaTac. CHWs reflect the languages and cultures of the families they serve, using community connections to reach those most affected.

Real Results

Among participants who completed the full CHW intervention, families reported more symptom-free days, far fewer nighttime awakenings, less need for “rescue” medications, and fewer days when asthma interfered with normal activities.

Families who completed the program reported:

  • More symptomfree days
  • Fewer nighttime awakenings
  • Less reliance on rescue medicines
  • Fewer disruptions to school, work, and play

In a recent survey, 95% of participants said they were satisfied, found the education effective, and felt confident managing asthma by the end of the program. Behind those numbers are real stories: parents who finally understand their child’s medicines, caregivers who learn to use an air cleaner, and adults who advocate with landlords about mold and pests.

How to Enroll

The CHW Asthma Program is currently enrolling children ages 6–12 in King County with poorly controlled, moderate, or persistent asthma. Families can sign up here: 

redcap.link/kingcountychwprogram

Families living within 10 miles of SeaTac Airport may also qualify for the University of Washington AAA research study. Participants receive:

  • A highefficiency air cleaner for their child’s bedroom
  • An air quality monitor for three months
  • Up to $135 in compensation
  • Enrollment in the CHW Asthma Education Program with supplies and support.

The Bottom Line

Asthma doesn’t have to control your family’s life. With trusted relationships, cultural understanding, and practical tools, the King County CHW Asthma Program helps families breathe easier, one home, one child, one day at a time.

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