2025 Annual Report

“Our goal is to raise the level of asthma care across the state, not just at Children’s, but everywhere kids need it.”

The three applied for and received a Health Re sources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, which provides salary support for the core team and local community and health care partners. It also helps fund the virtual continuing medication education (CME) Project ECHO sessions, health fairs and supplies—such as spirometers and educational materials. Magruder and Virella-Lowell stress the community- based approach of their efforts rather than having Children’s swoop in for just a few months. “We are really trying to improve the capacity of the community and their understanding of delivering asthma care in their own communities,” said Magruder. That means educating the front-line people caring for children, including school nurses, teachers, daycare workers and parents, while providing access to subspecialty care for the severe high-risk patients.

TERESA G. MAGRUDER, M.D.

clinic in 2026 in a space provided by Selma Pediatrics, so families don’t have to travel so far for specialty care. They are also educating clinicians and others who see children with asthma through the aforementioned CME approach Project ECHO (which stands for Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes), an interactive program that helps clinicians address their own cases. “It’s incredibly important that local physicians are comfortable managing asthma. And asthma care has changed a lot through the years,” said Lowell, who noted the recent release of new guidelines for diagnosing and treating the disease. The program, which is virtual, is available to any clinician throughout the state and beyond who’s interested in maintaining their expertise in pediatric asthma. The Alabama State Asthma Coalition, a statewide group with a diverse mix of experts including environmental experts and respiratory educators, is also playing a role. The coalition helped train the first group of community health workers and hopes to continue that work. Given that asthma affects one out of 10 children, it must be managed locally, Lowell said. “There’s no way that we will ever be able to manage all the really sick asthmatics here at Children’s. So it’s incredibly important that local pediatricians and family doctors are comfortable managing asthma.” “Our goal is to raise the level of asthma care across the state,” Magruder said, “not just at Children’s, but everywhere kids need it.” ●

“If the community doesn’t buy in, if they are not engaged, if they’re not supportive, then there’s a limited amount of good we can do,” Lowell said. “There’s some fatigue in these communities from programs that come and go,” Magruder added. “We know it takes time to build trust.” The two doctors are also partnering with local physicians at Selma Pediatrics and Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis. They hope to open a monthly

The virtual ECHO programs are held the first Friday of the month beginning September 5, 2025, from 12:15–1:00 p.m. via Zoom. Register at https://iecho.org/public/program/PRGM1706628464901THJ41H6DTI.

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CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA | UAB MEDICINE