These days it is not unusual to find Claudia Bonvouloir, an employee of Breathe New Hampshire, packing up a woman named Lou-Wheeze in a cardboard box and shipping her to towns across the state. Lou-Wheeze is a hands on model that demonstrates how our lungs work. The interactive model has two flexible latex lungs, one showing a healthy lung and one showing a damaged lung. An attached pump inflates the healthy lung, but the diseased lung fails to inflate and deflate normally. Lou-Wheeze is but one of many educational aids Breathe New Hampshire is making available to educators in the Granite State.
Through a grant from the New Hampshire Medical Society, Breathe New Hampshire has gathered a collection of respiratory health educational materials consisting of 3D displays, hands-on models, DVD’s and videos to lend to any educator or health care provider at any public or private school, college, health organization or company in the state.
The Breathe New Hampshire Lending Library includes displays such as a TB Reaction Arm that demonstrates what skin reactions to a TB test look like, Empathy Lungs that simulate COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a Micro Smokerlyzer CO Monitor that Measures the carbon monoxide levels in the breath, and much, much more.
According to Diane Smogor, VP of Program Services for the organization, “We decided to create a library because we often got requests from schools and community coalitions to borrow our educational materials. The grant allowed us to make the library available to communities across the state.”
“One of the highlights of our No Butts About It ™ program, is when we bring visual aids into the 5th grade classrooms. The visual aids like Lou Wheeze, Mr. Gross Mouth and the Tar Jar, leave a lasting impression with the students,” said Susan Berry, Program Manager of No Butts About It. No Butts About It ™ is Breathe New Hampshire’s school-based tobacco prevention curriculum for fifth graders. The program is currently in all Manchester elementary schools largely due to grant funding to Breathe New Hampshire through Heritage United Way.
All lending library materials may be borrowed at no cost for up to one week at a time. To borrow items, one must supply a valid major credit card and complete a Lending Library Check-out Form and Users Lending Agreement.
To check out any lending library materials please call 669-2411 or email Breathe New Hampshire at info@breathenh.org. The Check-out Form and Users Lending Agreement are available for print online at www.breathenh.org. For any additional information about the Lending Library, contact Claudia Bonvouloir at 669-2411 or electronically at info@breathenh.org.
Breathe New Hampshire is a non-profit organization committed to eliminating lung disease and improving the quality of life for those who are living with lung disease in New Hampshire.