Many do not think of asthma as a killer disease. Yet every year, more than 1,000 Mainers are hospitalized and roughly 12 die as a result of asthma.  Asthma affects 103,000 adults in Maine and over 22,400 children.  This means that 10% of Maine's population is impacted by asthma:  10% of your clients, 10% of your tenants, 10% of your building occupants, 10% of your students...

While there is no “cure” for asthma, much is known about the disease and the means to control it. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s asthma guidelines provide extensive information on the diagnosis and medical treatment of asthma. Yet critical to the management of the disease are strategies not contained in the guidelines to manage the allergens and irritants that commonly serve as asthma “triggers.”

Americans spend as much as 90% of their time indoors, raising concern about the healthfulness of the indoor environment for the asthmatic. This practical, one-hour webinar will provide essential information on the most common allergens and triggers that are found in indoor environments in Maine, as well as advice on ways to prevent, reduce or remove them. Strategies to be presented include: building design and construction, ventilation, commissioning, cleaning/maintenance practices, product selection and pets/pests. The program will provide a summary of the most common triggers found at home, school and work, and will emphasize environmental management as a means to alleviate, but not cure, asthma.
 

The program will be presented in an interactive format to best cover both the medical and technical perspectives. It will highlight the medical and technical issues of specific triggers and the varied environments. The program will not cover the diagnosis or medical treatment of asthma.

If you design, build, manage, or maintain properties in Maine, if you inspect or sell properties for clients with asthma, or are involved in the development of medical and environmental treatment strategies for Maine asthmatics, this program is critical to your ability to meet the needs of a significant number of Maine residents.

 

• A general medical overview of asthma and the concept of environmental management
• The relationship between indoor environmental triggers and subsequent asthma attacks
• Common triggers found in indoor environments in Maine (home, school work)
• Proven techniques for removing, reducing and preventing triggers in various indoor environments
• The role of building construction and design in the comfort and quality of life of asthmatics.

 

About the Presenter:  

Leslie Walleigh, M.D., M.P.H., Maine Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Augusta, ME

 

Leslie Walleigh is a graduate of Brown University and Stanford Medical School. She originally completed a residency and became board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, practicing in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. While still practicing OB/GYN, she completed an MPH (Masters in Public Health) in Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health. During her public health studies, she also became interested in occupational health and subsequently completed a residency in occupational medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health. She later became board certified in occupational medicine. She practiced occupational medicine from 1995 through 2009 at MaineGeneral Medical Center.  In 2004, Dr. Walleigh began working one day a week for the Environmental and Occupational Health Programs of the Maine CDC, consulting with the staff on medical conditions related to environmental and occupational exposures. In 2009 she accepted a full-time position with the Maine CDC and currently serves as the program manager of the Occupational Disease Reporting System within the Environmental and Occupational Health Programs. Dr. Walleigh continues to work one day a week as an occupational medicine physician with Employee Health and Wellness of Maine Medical Center.  Leslie is a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council.