Bad Air Quality & Your Family's Health
Our Project with the American Lung Association
Wee Care Pediatrics is working with the American Lung Association (ALA) on a special project to help families stay health on days when the outside air may not be healthy to breathe. We are also focused on educating our community about how air quality affects everyone. We are one of three doctor’s offices in our area working with the ALA to raise awareness about our local air quality.
Why Did I Get a Text About This?
If you got a text about this, it is probably because one or more of your children are diagnosed with lung disease such as asthma. We may ask you if you would like to change to telehealth for future appointments.
If you have an appointment on an “Unhealth Air Quality” day that cannot be changed to telehealth, we will try to reschedule your appointment or see if the air quality in our area improves closer to your appointment.
Table of Contents
Why is Air Quality Important?
The air we breathe can directly affect our lungs. On some days, the air has too much pollution, smoke, or dust. This can make it harder to breath, especially for:
-Babies and young children
-Children with Asthma
-Anyone with lung problems
-People who are pregnant
-People who work outdoors
-People living in low-income or high-pollution areas
Even healthy people can feel tired or have trouble breathing on bad air days.
What We're Doing to Help
When the air is unhealthy, we may:
-Change your child’s visit to a telehealth appointment (a video visit from home)
-Reschedule visits that are not urgent
-Share tips to help keep your child safe
Why Telehealth is a Good Option
Telehealth helps your child see the doctor without leaving home. This is safer on days when the air outside is bad. You’ll still get great care, and we’ll help you set it up if you’ve never done it before.
Helpful Resources About Unhealthy Air
We’ve put together a list of resources that explain how to keep your family safe when the air is dirty:
How do I Check if the Air is Healthy Today?
Your favorite weather app and/or news channel(s) may already tell you the air quality for the day. It is usually called the “Air Quality Index” or you may sometimes see it as “AQI” for short.
You can check out the air quality in Mesa by visiting this webpage or by visiting www.AirNow.gov.
You can also download the AirNow Mobile App here.
Clean Air Helps Everyone 
Clean air is good for all of us. When we stay indoors on bad air days and use telehealth when needed, we protect our health, and our community too.
Have Questions? We're Here to Help
If you want to learn more about how bad air affects your child’s health conditions and what you can do on bad air days, give us a call and our staff can schedule a time for your to meet with one of our doctors.
You can call us at 480-244-5373 or by pressing the button below on a cell phone.