For immediate release

A breath of fresh air for asthma patients served by the Seigneuries and Longueuil-Est CLSCs and the Centre hospitalier Pierre-Boucher

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Longueuil, April 30, 2001 - Asthma patients living in the areas served by the Seigneuries and Longueuil-Est CLSCs and the Centre hospitalier Pierre-Boucher on Montreal's South Shore, as well as health professionals, can now avail themselves of the PRIISME - RESPIRATORY HEALTH/Asthma program (Programs to Integrate Services and Manage Education) being launched today.

PRIISME was designed specifically to improve the health of asthma patients by means of a personalized education program. The Seigneuries and Longueuil-Est CLSCs provide this service through an asthma education centre (AEC), to which asthma patients may be referred by physicians, pharmacists and other health professionals in the region, such as respiratory therapists and nurses. In the PRIISME program, health professionals also receive training focused on the challenges posed by asthma and on how to help their patients manage their disease. Respiratory therapists have already been trained, as have physicians at the CLSCs and the Centre hospitalier Pierre-Boucher.

PRIISME is an initiative of the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. The PRIISME program at the Seigneuries and Longueuil-Est CLSCs is being launched jointly with the Centre hospitalier Pierre-Boucher, the Régie régionale de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie and the Réseau québécois Asthme-MPOC (Asthma Teaching Network). GlaxoSmithKline will be investing $110,000 in the project over the next two years.

A unique program

The cooperation of health care professionals as well as optimal health management are the key underpinnings of the PRIISME program. The many studies carried out in the area of asthma clearly show that a good number of asthma patients do not use their medication properly and have problems managing the resulting attacks. The PRIISME program is aimed at preventing exacerbations of the disease and at reducing emergency room visits and hospitalization. Asthma is a leading cause of work and school absenteeism.

As part of the activities of the asthma education centre and of the PRIISME program at the Seigneuries and Longueuil-Est CLSCs, health professionals in the region are urged to refer their patients to the centre, while remaining fully responsible for their follow-up.

Asthma

Asthma is the most common respiratory disease in Canada and Quebec, affecting about 10% of adults and 13% of children. In 1999-2000, more than 1,200 people went to the emergency room of the Centre hospitalier Pierre-Boucher for asthma-related problems. These resulted in 225 hospitalizations, many of which could have been prevented. Nearly a quarter of these emergency room visits were repeat visits.

In Quebec, asthma is responsible for more than 760,000 doctor visits and 37,000 emergency room visits, resulting in at least 50,000 days of hospitalization and 325,000 lost work days.

These problems can often be prevented. In fact, according to the Réseau québécois Asthme-MPOC (MPOC is the French acronym for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), the results of educational intervention among asthma patients show a reduction of at least 50% in the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and in absenteeism. The PRIISME program at the Seigneuries and Longueuil-Est CLSCs was launched in the presence of the following people :

Bernard Lamy, Executive Director, Seigneuries CLSC, and Lise Latreille-Zaman, Executive Director, Longueuil-Est CLSC;

Dr. Claude Rivard, Head of the Emergency Department, Centre hospitalier Pierre- Boucher;

Dr. Normand Kingsley, Director of Medical Affairs, Régie régionale de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie;

Rachel Rouleau, Coordinator, Réseau québécois Asthme-MPOC;

Paul Lirette, Vice-president, Customer Relations, GlaxoSmithKline;

Sylvie Bernier, Olympic gold medalist and GlaxoSmithKline spokesperson;

as well as:

Dr. Stella Brochu, General Practitioner, Seigneuries CLSC;

Gisèle Dion, Respiratory Therapist, Seigneuries CLSC (AEC);

Sharron Forrest and her son Jérémy.

For information:

Louis-Olivier Batty/Philippe Normand

Groupe 2000 neuf

(514) 868-2009

Source:

Sylvie Gaumond/Sylvie Tessier

Bureau d'affaires du Québec, GlaxoSmithKline

(514) 738-8886