Wendy Betancourt, Public Health Program Chief of Epidemiology and Program Evaluation at the Riverside County Department of Public Health, explains a new report that found the rate at which children with asthma are hospitalized in Riverside County has been cut in half since 2000. She said tRiverside County still has one of the highest asthma hospitalization rates in California, with 97.2 hospitalizations per 100,000 children ages 2 to 17. Whitewater has the county’s highest hospitalization rate with 212.94 hospitalizations per 10,000 children. She said the Riverside County Department of Public Health offers visits to homes with children and seniors with asthma to help identify their triggers to help avoid them and the department also offers allergen-proof mattress and pillowcase covers to reduce asthma attacks.