Rochesters Model Healthy Home

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• Rochesters Model Healthy Home
• Katrina Smith Korfmacher, PhDKate Kuholski
• Community Outreach and Education Core
• Environmental Health Sciences CenterUniversity
  of Rochester

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Rochesters Healthy Home

• Interactive museum/ model for Healthy Home
  practices and resources

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Rochester Context

• Increased awareness of lead poisoning
  (2000-present)
• Many home-based hazards contribute to health
  disparities (asthma, lead, etc.)
• Need for Hands-on education

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Community Context

• Get the Lead Out (2002)
• Lead Lab (2002)
• Community Lead Summit (2004)
• Lead law passage (2005)
• National groups integrate HH issues (asthma
  triggers, toxins, lead, etc.)
• Southwest Rochester involvement in lead direct
  action

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Healthy Home Purpose

• Provide education about home-based environmental
  health hazards
• Promote effective reduction of hazards
• Evaluate the effectiveness of hands-on home
  environmental health education
• Establish a community hub for future home
  environmental health education projects

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Partners

• University of Rochester EHSC (COEC)
• South West Area Neighborhood (SWAN)
• Rochester Fatherhood Resource Initiative (RFRI)
• Building Economic Empowerment, Achieving
  Stability (BEEAMS)
• Principles for Collaboration June 2004

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Lead Poisoning in Rochester
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RCAN School RN Survey 2005Asthma Prevalence by
County

• Chemung 8.3
• Livingston 8.0
• Monroe 8.2
• Ontario 8.4
• Schuyler 1.4
• Seneca 7.2
• Steuben 7.8
• Wayne 7.5
• Yates 9.7

New York State 7.6 United States 7.7
According to the NYS DOH, asthma prevalence is
inversely related to annual household income.
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Asthma Hospitalizations - Monroe County
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2005 Care Coordination Home Visit Outcomes
32 decrease in Absences (Pre/ Post) 68 decrease
in Emergency Room Visits (Pre/Post) 95 decrease
in Hospitalizations (Pre/Post)
Appendix C
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Timeline

• Monthly partner meetings (2004-persent)
• Received pilot project grant (Jan. 2006)
• Identify and lease home (Jan May 2006)
• Sampling photodocumentation (ongoing)
• Create Museum displays (Feb.-June 2006)
• Grand opening (June 19, 2006)
• Outreach tours (July 2006-ongoing)
• Hired Outreach Coordinator (Jan. 2007)
• Evaluation (ongoing)

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Site 700 West Main
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• Asthma Triggers
• Smoke
• Dust Mites
• Pets
• Mold
• Pests

Household Chemicals Normal or misuse of
Cleaning Products Pesticides Detergents Paints
Lead Hazards Lead in dust Lead in soil Leaded
paint chips
Indoor Air Quality Radon Carbon
Monoxide Asbestos
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Museum display topics
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mold, asbestos
mold, hous ehold chemicals
dust mites, CO, lead
dust mites, lead, pets, smoking
household chemicals, CO, lead
asbestos, CO, radon, mold
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Toxics Educator Program

• Complement to Healthy Home
• Funded by CARE (EPA grant)
• Administered by Action for a Better Community
• Toxics Educator presentations
• Focus on Healthy Home topics

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Lead Hazards
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What are Lead Hazards?

• Lead
• a highly toxic metal that was added to paint and
  gasoline to improve quality
• can also be found in some jewelry, water, home
  remedies, or ceramic glazes
• Rochesters most common problems are lead hazards
  from old paint and household dust

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Why the focus on lead?

• Nationally, 2 of children have elevated blood
  lead
• In New York State, 5 of children
• In Monroe County, 7.4
• City of Rochester, nearly 25
• Some neighborhoods over 30

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What is Lead Poisoning?

• Most dangerous for children
• growing brains and bodies
• hand-to-mouth behavior exposes children to leaded
  dust or paint
• can cause learning and behavioral
• low levels of lead can cause problems,
  even if the child appears okay
• No safe lead levels even for adults
• Pregnant moms can pass lead to their babies
• You can only tell if someone has lead poisoning
  by testing their blood

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Brain Growth and Neuron Connection
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How You May Be Exposed to Lead in Your Home

• Paint in pre-1978 homes
• Leaded dust
• Friction on painted surfaces
• Not using lead safe work practices when
  disturbing leaded paint
• Bare soil

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Asthma Triggers
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What is Asthma?

• Long-term health condition which affects your
  ability to breathe
• No cure - but can be controlled
• Runs in families
• Airways to the lungs are sensitive to triggers
  causing wheezing, coughing, and shortness of
  breath

Normal Lungs
Asthma
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Who is Affected by Asthma?

• One of the most common childhood diseases
• Leading cause of missing school and work
• At least 3000 children in the Rochester City
  Schools have asthma
• 12 of children entering pre-K in RCSD were
  hospitalized for asthma in the past year
• Asthma rates are increasing

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Asthma Triggers

• Outdoors
• Pollen
• Dust
• Diesel Exhaust
• Ozone

• Home
• Smoke
• Dust Mites
• Pets
• Mold
• Pests

• Other
• Exercise
• Emotions
• Medications
• Cold air
• Strong odors

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Dust Mites
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Asthma Triggers Cigarette Smoke

• Important asthma trigger
• Secondhand smoke is hazardous
• Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals
• More than 430,000 Americans die from
  smoking-related illnesses each year
• Smoking when pregnant can increase chances for
  low birth weight and other problems for the baby

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What Works?

• Mattress covers
• Removing pets
• Management of pests
• Healthy House cleaning
• No smoking

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Household Chemicals
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What are Household Chemicals?

• Many cleaning products, pesticides, and other
  household chemicals are toxic
• Can be toxic if swallowed, breathed, splashed in
  eyes or on skin
• Exposure can cause dizziness, headaches, or death

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Indoor Air ProblemsRadonCarbon
MonoxideAsbestos
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Hands-on displays
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Asthma safe bedroom
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Outreach tours

• Community groups
• Government officials
• Health effects interest groups
• Schools
• Contractors
• Neighborhood residents

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Outreach initiatives

• RCAN parent group met in home
• Block club/church group meetings
• School/camp groups
• Host LSWP training
• Service learning
• Health fairs
• NET referrals

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How effective is in-home environmental health
education in high-risk neighborhoods?
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Evaluation

• Surveys
• Action sheets
• Follow up calls
• HHAC
• Project portfolio

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Impacts (June through December 2006)

• 400 visitors to home
• 13 volunteers contributed 165 hours
• 7 Lead Safe Work Practices courses
• Advisory Council grew from 3 to 20
• Initial follow-up shows high rate of compliance
• New grants total 50,000
• Part-time outreach coordinator

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Replication/dissemination

• Presented at three national meetings
• Frequent media coverage in area
• Teacher Mentors workshop
• Proposal for HH in northeast sector
• Guide to replication

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Future directions

• Ongoing funding
• School-based programming
• Home visitor trainings
• Program evaluation
• Expand on community partnerships
• Replication/Dissemination