More than 23,000 children in King County are suffering from a health condition that is largely preventable and manageable, yet their families are largely unable or unaware of how to help.

The majority of these 23,000 children come from lower-income families where these children are made sick by the very place they should feel safest - their home.

The sickness is asthma.

Homes should be safe, healthy places for families, but too often, they are not. This is especially true for families living in rental housing, where landlords may not be attentive to maintenance issues such as mold.

Mold, as well as household dust, fumes and pets, can cause allergic reactions and trigger asthma attacks.

There's a reason we should all be considered about asthma. Asthma is the most prevalent childhood illness today and the costs in terms of health care are staggering.

Across Washington, childhood asthma costs are estimated at $127 million a year. In King County, 648 children are hospitalized annually for asthma at a cost of $3.5 million.

Health care costs aside, asthma takes another toll. It is the leading cause of school absenteeism caused by chronic health conditions. Across the nation, asthma is responsible for an estimated 14 million lost school days, and 20 percent of children with asthma miss a week or more.

There is a clear correlation between good health and academic achievement. If we want to get serious about closing the achievement gap in our schools, we must help sick children get well.

Unfortunately, the families most affected are the families with fewest resources to combat the problem.

In both the nation and King County, 62 percent of African-American children suffer from asthma. The rate of hospitalization for asthma among children living in low-income King County neighborhoods is 188 percent higher than the rate for children living in more affluent neighborhoods.

That's why I fought for funding to set up a pilot project in King County to provide home visits for kids with asthma.

The program will bring trained professionals to the homes of 1,700 children to help them and their families develop the skills they need to manage asthma. Families will learn how to use medication properly, what to do when symptoms worsen and how to identify asthma triggers.

Evidence shows that home visits work. Investing in healthier, asthma-free kids will ensure fewer trips to the ER, fewer days of missed school and an astonishing cost-savings for taxpayers.

Imagine saving $1.70 in health care costs for every $1 invested in prevention - that's what this program will do. If we can reduce asthma by 20 percent, we can save as much $360 million annually.

But the best result of all is the knowledge and power children will gain in learning how to control what can be a very scary health condition.

The simple task of teaching a family how to provide a safe and healthy home for their children is a small but monumental step to a lifetime of better health and higher achievement.

Editor's note: State Rep. Shay Schual-Berke, D-Normandy Park, is a retired cardiologist, serves on the House Health Care Committee and chairs the Joint Select Committee on Public Health Financing.

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