URBANA — Juan and Shelley Jimenez first found out their 9-year-old son had a tree nut allergy when he was a toddler and had a severe reaction to biting into a cashew.

They found out their 5-year-old daughter was allergic to eggs when she was just a year old and had an allergic reaction to tasting her first birthday cake.

Jimenez, a radiologist at Carle, said he and his wife went looking for information about precautions and treatments concerning food allergies and found inconsistencies that concerned them.

"It became evident that we need a program to standardize the care of these children," he said.

Carle is now offering such a program with some funding donated by the Jimenezes. The program has a food allergy educator available to consult with parents, schools and others dealing with food allergies, and will offer a free community education event in Urbana May 13.

Carle's new program is aimed at educating health care providers, teachers, school administrators, parents and others dealing with food allergies.

Some parents with food-allergic children seek to have the offending foods — such as peanuts — banned from school properties, but Jimenez says a blanket food ban gives people a false sense of security.

It's much better to make sure schools know how to deal with food allergies, educate parents and teachers and make sure kids are sent to school with the medications they need and action plans for allergic reactions.

"We may say we're a peanut-free school, but all it takes is one slip-up," Jimenez said.

Carle Nurse Practitioner Amy Jessup, the food allergy educator, said Carle is teaming up with Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, to offer a food allergy education program.

The first goal is to educate families in creating safe environments for people with food allergies, she said, and that includes management of the daily challenges involved in shopping, cooking and dining out.

Carle also hopes to start a food allergy support group, she said.

Just eight foods — eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, shellfish (such as lobster, crab and shrimp) and other fish such as bass, flounder and cod — account for 90 percent of allergic reactions.

And these allergies can cause some anxiety, Jessup said.

"An allergic reaction can happen immediately, and can be severe and life-threatening," she said.

Jessup and Jimenez said there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about food allergies, but there are new guidelines to diagnose and manage them.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases issued comprehensive guidelines for doctors late last year that are expected to provide standardized recommendations on how to diagnose and manage food allergies and treat acute reactions.

Testing has been one area of confusion, Jimenez and Jessup said. The only definitive way to diagnose a food allergy is through an "oral challenge" which involves a controlled exposure of the suspected food in an allergist's office, Jessup said.

For now, Jessup is available eight hours a week as a food allergy educator, and patients will need a doctor's referral to make an appointment with her. Patients will pay for her time like a regular doctor's office visit, and many insurers cover this service, she said.

Jiminez said he hopes more donations will be made to help Carle expand the program's community outreach and allow for training at area schools.

The free program set for May 13 at the Forum at Carle will include four sessions

— 4:30 p.m.: Coordinating a food allergy plan at school for school nurses, teachers, administrators and community program coordinators.

— 5:30 p.m.: Parenting tips about food allergies in children under age 5.

— Keeping children with food allergies safe at school.

— Food allergy basics for newly-diagnosed patients.

To reserve a seat, call 326-0180 by May 9. Reservations will still be made if seats are available after that date.