OKLAHOMA (Nov. 18, 2022) – In partnership with SSM Health St. Anthony, the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce a first-in-the-nation partnership 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 public school in Oklahoma, an effort sponsored in part by SSM Health St. Anthony.
“Asthma is one of the leading chronic diseases among children, and anyone who has lived in the fear of an asthma attack or cared for an asthma sufferer knows the fear that comes from living every moment looking out for the next trigger and keeping emergency medical supplies within arm’s length,” said Jen Blair, executive director, the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation. “This innovative partnership with SSM Health St. Anthony empowers our small but mighty nonprofit to deliver medical supplies to public school students throughout Oklahoma that will almost certainly save lives and enable students, parents and teachers to focus more on education and worry less about the next possible asthma attack.”
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 student statewide can help generate peace of mind for students, parents and educators, ultimately contributing to better health and educational outcomes.
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 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.
“Our Founding Sisters at SSM Health St. Anthony came to the prairie 124 years ago to expand access to Oklahoma settlers, and we continue in the spirit of their Mission today,” said Joe Hodges, Regional President, SSM Health Oklahoma. “We believe every student in Oklahoma deserves the ability to learn in an environment where they feel they have access to lifesaving asthma medication, when needed, and school staff should be prepared with the tools to care for these students – this investment is so important to us.”
SSM Health St. Anthony is pleased to support this effort, continuing the organization’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.
Guthrie Public Schools hosted a formal announcement of this groundbreaking initiative November 17, leading up to what would have been McLarty’s 27th birthday.
About the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation
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. Visit the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation for more information.
About SSM Health in Oklahoma
SSM Health in Oklahoma includes St. Anthony Hospital (Oklahoma City); Bone & Joint Hospital at St. Anthony (Oklahoma City); St. Anthony South (Oklahoma City), SSM Health Outpatient Center (Oklahoma City), St. Anthony Hospital - Shawnee (Shawnee, Okla.), St. Anthony Hospital - Shawnee, Seminole Campus (Seminole, Okla.) and St. Anthony Hospital - Midwest (Midwest City, Okla.). The SSM Health network in Oklahoma also includes five SSM Health St. Anthony Healthplex campuses, six managed hospitals, eleven rural affiliated hospitals and SSM Health Medical Group with more than 300 physicians and providers.
