The LOI allows the organizations to explore a more meaningful partnership as the organizations work toward a definitive agreement later this summer.

The goal is to further align strategic, operational and financial interests to support pediatric care, teaching and research.

“We want to ensure we continue to promote healthy children and communities while maintaining our strong academic training programs and research, which translate into better care for children,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, Ph.D. “We’ll do that by leveraging the strengths of the UofL School of Medicine, ULP – Pediatrics and Norton Healthcare.”

“For many years, Norton Healthcare and Norton Children’s Hospital have worked closely with the University of Louisville through our academic affiliation,” said Russell F. Cox, president and chief executive officer of Norton Healthcare. “Each day, dedicated providers from both organizations work together to deliver quality care that children and their families need. Together we have grown specialty services for children in the important areas of heart, diabetes and cancer care. With this new initiative, we expect this type of growth to continue, and we are committed to identifying even better ways to meet the health care needs of children and families.”

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Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s nothing serious, health officials warn. Frequent intermittent coughing — particularly at bedtime and first thing in the morning — is a classic sign of childhood asthma.

Asthma is responsible for more than 6,000 hospitalizations a year in Kentucky and nearly 3,000 deaths nationally. It is the most common diagnosis among hospitalized children and the leading cause of emergency room visits and missing school.

Sometimes, seasonal allergies or the common cold can trigger asthma symptoms. It can be tricky for parents to know whether their child is coughing and wheezing from allergies, a cold or something else.

“Nobody should be coughing at night for more than five or six days in a row,” said Beth VanCleave, R.N., asthma educator for Norton Children’s Hospital. “If your child has these symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor.”

Your pediatrician will work with you to create an asthma management plan. He or she will recommend medications to control both long-term symptoms and emergency symptoms, frequently called “asthma attacks.” The doctor generally will decide what types of medications are needed based on your child’s specific symptoms and medical history.

The National Institutes of Health recommends that people who have asthma symptoms more than twice a week during the day or more than twice a month at night need both long-term medications to control asthma and prevent it from getting worse and quick-relief medications, such as an emergency inhaler.

Not keeping up with those medications can lead to trouble.

“One of the biggest issues we see is patients only taking their medication during peak asthma season,” Van Cleave said. “This makes asthma sufferers more prone to a surprise attack, which can land them in the hospital.”

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