Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation partnering with SSM Health St. Anthony to supply rescue inhalers and related medical supplies to every public school in state
In partnership with SSM Health St. Anthony, the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce a first-in-the-nation program to help save the lives of Oklahoma K-12 public school students who experience asthma attacks at school. The Foundation has begun the process of supplying rescue inhalers and related medical supplies to every school in every public district in the state of Oklahoma.
Approximately 10 percent of minors living in Oklahoma today suffer from asthma, a serious lung condition that compromises breathing often without warning. Immediate access to a rescue inhaler can be the difference between life and death. Additionally, the presence of lifesaving supplies in proximity to each public-school student statewide can help generate peace of mind for students, parents and educators, ultimately contributing to better health and educational outcomes. (STORY CONTINUES BELOW)
The Foundation was established in memory of Brendon McLarty, a teenager from Perry, Okla. who passed away in 2012 due to complications from asthma. Although he had been diagnosed at a young age, he did not exhibit symptoms of a fatal attack until the day one struck. His family and asthma advocates have banded together to raise awareness about this important issue and help keep a similar situation from happening to another child in Oklahoma. To date, since it was founded in 2017, the Foundation has provided rescue inhalers to 85 Oklahoma school districts, which have been administered more than 600 times.
In addition to medical supplies, the Foundation provides schools with education, tracking software and other resources. They have also worked in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Office of Safety and Security through various steps that have ultimately resulted in getting asthma resources into public schools.
SSM Health St. Anthony is pleased to support this effort, continuing the health system’s Mission of helping care for the state’s underserved populations and improving access to life-saving health care in urban and rural Oklahoma settings alike. The health system is kickstarting this statewide expansion with grants and in-kind donations of inhalers totaling $192,568 in value.
School leaders, students, community leaders and others in support of this partnership between the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation and SSM Health St. Anthony; speakers included:
Jen Blair, Executive Director, Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation.
Mike Simpson, EdD, Superintendent, Guthrie Public Schools.
April Devereaux, former school nurse with Guthrie Public Schools.
Joe Hodges, Regional President, SSM Health Oklahoma.
Founded in 2017 in memory of an Oklahoma teenager who suffered a fatal asthma attack, the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation is dedicated to the idea that no family should suffer from such a tragedy again. The Foundation provides lifesaving medical supplies, training and other resources to combat asthma-related emergencies in Oklahoma public schools. For more information,visit
www.brendonmclartyfoundation.org.
