Buster Has Asthma

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=140 BGCOLOR="#9966CC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03b00a20ezthtv.png"> <div> <B>H</B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="City Stage Co. of Boston"><U><B>ome</B></U></A><B>     |     </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#330066" FACE="Arial" ><B>City Stage Co. of Boston</B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Performing"><U>Performing</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Educating"><U>Educating</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Museums"><U>Museums</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News!"><U>News!</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact info"><U>Contact info</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Participating"><U>Participating</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Calendar"><U>Calendar</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Teen Stages"><U>Teen Stages</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="KidStage"><U>KidStage</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whats the Big Idea?"><U>What's the Big Idea?</U></A>   |   <B>Buster Has Asthma</B>   |   <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whos Who Bios"><U>Who's Who & Bios</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="History"><U>History</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQ"><U>FAQ</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="After School With City Stage Co."><U>After School With City Stage Co.</U></A></div> <div> <B>Buster Has Asthma</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#CCFF66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="4c6a5e80.jpg" border=0 width="165" height="232" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=340 BGCOLOR="#CCFF66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>We Make the Whole City Our Stage</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The </B><I><B>Buster Has Asthma</B></I><B> tour ended on March 31, 2007</B></div> <div> <B>We performed the show a total of 60 times at community sites throughout the city of Boston, as well as more than 20 performances on KidStage at Boston Children's Museum</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="5775e060.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="262" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Tour Facts:</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>What kinds of venues did you tour to and how many shows did you offer in each type?</I></div> <bR> <div> Libraries - 14</div> <div> Elementary Schools - 13</div> <div> Health Centers - 7</div> <div> Community Centers - 6</div> <div> Head Starts - 5</div> <div> Boys & Girls Clubs - 4</div> <div> YMCAs - 4</div> <div> Multi-Service Centers - 2</div> <div> Tenants' Associations - 2</div> <div> After Schools - 1</div> <div> Children's Centers - 1</div> <div> Churches - 1</div> <bR> <div> <I>What neighborhoods and how many shows?</I></div> <div> Allston -  1 </div> <div> Charlestown -  2</div> <div> Chinatown - 1</div> <div> Dorchester - 19</div> <div> East Boston - 3</div> <div> Fenway - 1</div> <div> Jamaica Plain - 7</div> <div> Mattapan - 3</div> <div> North End - 2</div> <div> Roslindale - 1</div> <div> Roxbury - 16</div> <div> South Boston -1</div> <div> South End - 3</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.southendnews.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=4ABEAEFCDE8F44A0A71EFB120332AD1A&AudID=30A8E67FDA3E407A9502CC5A73F64194" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.southendnews.com/ME2/Audience"><U><B>Read About Buster Has Asthma in the South End News</B></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>"The city and its partners in this campaign deserve credit for giving the ``public" of public health the broadest possible meaning." </B></I></div> <div> <I>- </I><B>The Boston Globe, Editorial, October 16, 2006 </B></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="44090b40.gif" border=0 width="400" height="180" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <I>"Mayor Menino and representatives of the partners kicked off the campaign at the Orchard Gardens School in Roxbury, with children participating in an interactive play using Arthur and Buster as characters." - </I><I><B>The Boston Globe</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="4c89d710.jpg" border=0 width="413" height="625" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <A HREF="http://interactives.hostway.com/cgi-bin/slither/Driver.py/InterActives/Quiz/Quiz.render?quiz_id=759" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://interactives.hostway.com/cgi-bin/"><U><I>Take an asthma "triggers" quiz</I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bpl.org/AsthmaBooklist_Children.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bpl.org/AsthmaBooklist_Childr"><U>Check out an asthma booklist for kids!</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bpl.org/AsthmaBooklist_Adults.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bpl.org/AsthmaBooklist_Adults"><U>Take a look at an asthma booklist for adults</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Phone </B><I><B>Dial-a-Story</B></I><B> at 617-859-20</B><B>25</B> </div> <div> to listen to <I>The Lion Who Had Asthma, </I>written by Jonathan London, with pictures by Nadine Bernard Westcott.  The book is read aloud by <A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110518/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110518/"><U>Daniel Brochu</U></A> the voice of "Buster Baxter" on the  <A HREF="http://pbskids.org/arthur/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pbskids.org/arthur/"><U>Arthur</U></A> and <A HREF="http://pbskids.org/buster/?campaign=list_buster" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pbskids.org/buster/?campaign=list"><U>Postcards from Buster</U></A> television series.</div> <bR> <div> Nearly 10 percent of the Massachusetts children in kindergarten through eighth grade had been diagnosed with asthma. In several Boston schools, more than 30 percent of the student population had the chronic disease.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><IMG SRC="4e3b3230.jpg" border=0 width="435" height="291" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <I>Buster Has Asthma, </I>a 20 minute participatory play written by Susan Gassett and Larry Coen, uses Marc Brown's Arthur characters to help spread the word about the importance of good asthma management, with a special focus on families living in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roxbury and the South End - the five Boston neighborhoods with the highest rates of childhood asthma.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4e6a3610.jpg" border=0 width="419" height="353" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> During the play Buster shows Arthur, D.W. and the audience how he manages his asthma so he can do all the things he enjoys.  Volunteers from the audience join the actors on stage to play air traveling in and out of the lungs, everyday objects that can trigger asthma and sing a song about all of the things that kids with asthma can do.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4e873050.jpg" border=0 width="371" height="261" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>Buster Has Asthma</I> Premiered on Wednesday, October 4, 2006.  The show  offered performances on KidStage at <A HREF="http://www.bostonkids.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bostonkids.org"><U>Boston Children's Museum</U></A> and at 60 community venues throughout Boston, including schools, libraries, Head Starts, Health Fairs, Community Centers, Hospitals and Community Health Centers.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="35968140.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="276" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The campaign also seeks to increase communication between patients and health-care providers by encouraging parents to talk to their doctors about how asthma is affecting their children's lives. "Asthma is the leading chronic disease affecting children in the United States, accounting for an estimated 14 million missed school days each year," said Margaret Reid, director of the Boston Public Health Commission's Asthma Prevention & Control Program. "What's more, Boston has double the statewide average of asthma hospitalizations for children under the age of five.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3576a160.jpg" border=0 width="362" height="278" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> "By providing parents and caregivers with information on effective asthma management practices," Reid said, "we hope to increase the number of children who have their asthma under control and decrease the number of asthmarelated hospitalizations." Campaign organizers also hope to dispel some common misconceptions about asthma, such as the erroneous belief that children with asthma shouldn't play sports or that asthma medication should only be taken when a child is experiencing an asthma attack.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="35468790.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="377" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> "Children's is committed to helping kids with asthma lead healthy and active lives," said James Mandell, MD, president and CEO of Children's Hospital Boston. "We are delighted to be involved in this innovative partnership and campaign to reach parents and caregivers with positive messages about asthma management. We want families to understand that children with well-managed asthma do not need to miss out on learning, playing and being a kid."</div> <bR> <div> <I>Kids With Asthma Can...Asthma Management Campaign </I>is a partnership of:</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.childrenshospital.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.childrenshospital.org/"><U><IMG SRC="3e6cf2e0.gif" border=0 width="207" height="46" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.wgbh.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wgbh.org/"><U><IMG SRC="3e2682a0.gif" border=0 width="104" height="42" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bostonkids.org/index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bostonkids.org/index.html"><U><IMG SRC="3e8b1430.gif" border=0 width="177" height="67" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bpl.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bpl.org/"><U><IMG SRC="3e351960.gif" border=0 width="81" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bphc.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bphc.org/"><U><IMG SRC="3e463660.gif" border=0 width="99" height="102" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Additional Components of the <I>Kids with Asthma Can... Asthma Management Campaign</I> include:</div> <bR> <div> Campaign music video: WGBH has produced a special asthma music video featuring an original Kids with Asthma Can... campaign theme song, available at <A HREF="http://resourceroom.wgbh.org/pages/arth.html " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://resourceroom.wgbh.org/pages/arth."><U>WGBH Resource Room</U></A>  The video features Arthur's friend, Buster, singing about all the activities in which he can participate even though he has asthma.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Healthy Family Nights</I> at six Boston Public Library branches. Dates and times to be announced.</div> <bR> <div> Annotated bookmarks and booklists featuring asthma-related titles and other books encouraging a healthy lifestyle.</div> <bR> <div> Donation of two asthma-themed books (<I>Brianna Breathes Easy</I> & <I>The Lion Who Had Asthma</I>) to each of the Boston Public Library's 27 branches.</div> <bR> <div> Parent/educator trainings to raise awareness of effective asthma management techniques.</div> <bR> <div> Following the October campaign kickoff, the <I>Kids with Asthma Can...Asthma Management Campaign </I>will continue through March 2007 with play performances and parent/teacher trainings held in the five neighborhoods with high asthma rates. Researchers at the Boston Public Health Commission will then conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine the campaign's effectiveness in helping families improve their children's asthma management.</div> <bR> <div> Asthma Statistics</div> <bR> <div> Nationwide</div> <bR> <div> Approximately 15 million people have asthma, including 3.5 million children under the age of 15. Between 1980 and 1996, the prevalence of asthma in the United States increased 77 percent - from 3.1 percent of the population to 5.5 percent. Each year, asthma accounts for: 5,000 deaths 500,000 hospitalizations 2 million emergency room visits. African Americans and Hispanics are three times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma or die from asthma than white Americans.</div> <bR> <div> Locally</div> <bR> <div> A Massachusetts Department of Public Health study of elementary and middle-school students found that 9.5 percent of children were diagnosed with asthma. In five Boston schools, more than 30 percent of the students were diagnosed with asthma. Boston has double the statewide average rate of asthma hospitalizations for children under age five. Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalization at Children's Hospital Boston. In 2005, Boston residents were hospitalized more than 1,300 times because of asthma.</div> <bR> <div> Source: Boston Public Health Commission</div> <bR> <div> All characters and underlying materials (including artwork) copyrighted by Marc Brown. "Arthur," "D.W." and "Baby Kate" are trademarks of Marc Brown. ARTHUR'S WORLD is an exclusive exhibit, stage show and website, plus related programming, produced by The Children's Museum of Boston in collaboration with WGBH-TV and Marc Brown. All rights reserved.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.marcbrownstudios.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.marcbrownstudios.com/"><U><IMG SRC="3e913250.gif" border=0 width="275" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>