WORKING TOGETHER: FOUNDATION FOR AIRWAY HEALTH

Taking on the challenge of children's airway health prevention and education is a massive undertaking. In an effort to assist us in our task, we have engaged with three other groups who are also advocates for children's airway health.

In our blog series Working Together, we will be introducing you to each of the groups and foundations we are partnering with to help the more than 400-million children around the world currently experiencing some sort of preventable or treatable airway disorders.

Working Together: Foundation for Airway Health

The Foundation for Airway Health is on a mission to help the public realize their maximum potential by championing the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of airway-related disorders through collaboration, awareness, research, and education.

Founded in 2012, the Foundation for Airway Health is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness among the general public and the healthcare industry. Through its initiatives, the Foundation seeks to highlight the role of airways in overall health and well-being for all, and educate clinicians to recognize the role and importance of optimal airway physiology and sleep in the areas of health, development, performance, and function.

The Foundation has several avenues via which they are focused on creating awareness and education around children's airway health issues:

• Advancing interdisciplinary collaboration

• Developing educational materials for the healthcare industry

• Providing multidisciplinary referral resources for optimal care

• Promoting affordable airway care for all

The Foundation has done focused research on the connection between sleep and airway issues. The negative effects of Airway Centered Disorder can be most obvious during sleep. There is extensive documentation of the myriad negative effects of breathing difficulties during sleep, collectively known as sleep-disordered breathing. Disrupted or fragmented sleep has profoundly disturbing effects on the brain, causes systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and a host of severe health problems.

They host an annual Global O2Day (held October 2nd each year) to bring awareness to airway health and provide a library of resources for parents, patients, and healthcare professionals.

You can find out more about The Foundation for Airway Health on their website. We are honored to be working alongside them in our fight for healthy airways for all children.