POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – Saint Francis Healthcare System is pleased to announce On Friday, June 6, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, local families and healthcare professionals will gather at Saint Francis Clinic - Poplar Bluff to mark a major milestone in Missouri’s fight against pediatric asthma. It is all part of a breakthrough initiative called “At Last! Pediatric Asthma Care at Home” (ALPACAH), which delivers innovative asthma monitoring and support directly into the homes of rural children.
Led by BioSTL’s Center for Rural Health Innovation, Asthma Ready® Communities and NuvoAir Medical, ALPACAH aims to transform asthma care for rural kids with uncontrolled asthma, a condition affecting half of Missouri’s 115,000 children with asthma.
Participating families will return to Saint Francis Clinic -Poplar Bluff to meet with providers, reflect on their experiences and demonstrate how remote technology and personalized support are changing the game in asthma management.
“Bringing world-class medical care to rural Missourians is good for everyone,” said Vijay Chauhan, Head of the Center for Rural Health Innovation at BioSTL. “ALPACAH is about delivering 24/7 care where families live, using cutting-edge tools to prevent emergencies before they start.”
Through ALPACAH, children at highest risk received, home-use spirometers to track lung function, inhaler sensors to monitor medication use, customized Asthma Action Plans for school and home, regular virtual check-ins with NuvoAir providers, text messages with asthma education tailored to families and additional supplies such as spacers, nebulizers and nasal rinses
These tools support daily monitoring and early intervention, dramatically reducing the likelihood of hospital visits. The program also empowers families with education and confidence, filling the gaps left by traditional acute-care visits.
Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy.
Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.