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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Asthma rates are on the rise, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced a bill to help treat it in schools.
The School Asthma Management Plan Act announced Wednesday would make sure that schools are equipped to respond to asthma attacks and work to prevent them. The bill would establish grants for schools to train staff to identify and respond to students with the chronic lung disease, which causes shortness of breath and coughing.
The measure also would allow for the purchase of medication and equipment to improve classroom air quality.
Nearly half a million New York children suffer from asthma, and state health department officials say 34,000 children were hospitalized for asthma attacks between 2011 and 2013.
The American Lung Association says the disease affects almost 1.5 million New Yorkers.
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