What We Do

ASK TRAINING OVERVIEW
ASK Trainings are conducted in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and AllergyHome, the creators of ASK’s curriculum. ASK trains the school nurses from Colorado’s public schools at regional nursing conferences across the state.

The training consists of: 
  1. Prevention – Ensuring a safe environment using standardized preventative measures 
  2. Emergency Preparedness – The ability to recognize an allergic reaction and activate the appropriate emergency responses

Once the training is completed, the nurses are encouraged to create Individualized 
Allergy Plans for their schools that address the four components of our program:
Prevention - Identification - Treatment – Evaluation
Prevention
  • Create a safe learning environment away from home.
  • Learn how to read labels, wash hands and sanitize classrooms and surfaces.
  • Prevent cross-contamination.
  • Teach the importance of not sharing food.
  • Encourage allergen-free classrooms (avoiding food for projects, experiments, special events, etc.).
  • Understand and be aware of food-allergy bullying.
  • Understand what an Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan is.
  • Address storage location of emergency medications.
  • Implement effective plans for substitutes, field trips, before/after-care, etc.
Identification
  • Understand and identify allergic reactions.
  • Understand allergy severity, from mild to life threatening (anaphylaxis).
  • Understand different types of exposure (contact, inhalation or ingestion).
Treatment
  • Provide a clear understanding of who is allowed to administer medications in the schools based on level of training. (Only individuals delegated and designated by their
    school nurse in Colorado are allowed to administer medications.)
  • Provide hands-on training regarding when and how to administer emergency epinephrine auto-injectors.
  • Understand antihistamines and asthma medications and when they should be used.
  • Review the importance of providing treatment as soon as a reaction is recognized.
  • Understand how to interpret and use the Colorado Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency
    Care Plan and Medication Orders during an emergency.
  • Understand how asthma complicates the decision making when treating an allergic
    reaction.
  • Provide post-treatment monitoring.
  • Provide follow-up communication with emergency personnel and family members.
Observation
  • Review and establish protocols for incidence reporting of all severe allergic reactions in schools to the CDE, including epinephrine auto-injector use.
  • Encourage school-wide staff participation in annual training through a blended model of in person and online training; professional development credits can be earned through the CDE.
  • Monitor/evaluate the effects of bullying in schools as education and awareness
    increase.