Kenosha County Healthy Homes Initiative

Kenosha County Healthy Homes Initiative is a program through the Kenosha County Division of Health, United States, that focuses on creating safer and healthier environments.[1] The service is available to both homeowners and renters (with the landlord's permission).

Their focus is on improving air quality in homes with children who have asthma and allergies and preventing injuries in the residences of persons over 65 years of age.

Grant

The Healthy Homes program was made possible through a grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development via a Healthy Homes Demonstration Program (HHD). The grant allows the Healthy Homes program to address environmental triggers that contribute to illnesses, conduct education and outreach that furthers the goal of protecting families from environmentally induced illnesses.[2]

Healthy Homes principles

The program follows the National Center for Healthy Housing's seven principles of healthy homes, which include:

  • Dry: eliminate dampness and control moisture
  • Clean: regularly clean to reduce infestations and contaminants
  • Pest-Free: mice and cockroaches can cause asthma in children
  • Safe: falls (often caused by tripping) are the most common cause of residential injuries to persons over age 65
  • Contaminant-free: problems include lead, radon, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and environmental tobacco smoke
  • Ventilated: fresh air supply improves respiratory health and can help prevent exposure to other indoor air pollutants
  • Maintained: poorly maintained homes often result in moisture problems and infestations [3]

Asthma and allergy triggers

The focus of the program's grant is to identify and improve conditions that can aggravate asthma and allergies in the residents of the home, especially children. Many of these problems are related to environmental triggers in the home. The program checks for excess moisture and humidity levels, which can be caused by poor air flow or ventilation and create an atmosphere that allows mold or mildew to develop. The program also checks the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels for rooms, which provide more information about air flow and ventilation. Factors they observe are tobacco smoke, dust mites, and pests, all of which can cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma attacks. If any of these factors are determined to be a potential problem for anyone in the residence, the program attempts to help resolve the issue.

Some actions taken by the program to improve air quality in homes enrolled in their program have been:

  • air filters for furnaces, which are purchased and installed
  • dehumidifiers purchased and installed to decrease the level of moisture
  • installation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
  • buying pest traps

The program also performs a test for radon gas, which is a naturally occurring radioactive and carcinogenic gas sometimes found at elevated levels in homes. According to some studies, radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.[4]

Fall hazards

For people over the age of 65, the Healthy Homes Initiative looks for situations that are considered "fall hazards". Examples are broken or missing steps or railings, poor lighting, clutter, and unsafe rugs or carpets.

Some solutions for problems include:

  • purchase and installation of energy efficient light bulbs to increase visibility
  • purchase and installation of grab bars for toilets and showers
  • installation of railings in stairwells
  • providing fire extinguishers
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References
  1. Healthy Homes Webpage Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "HUD Grant Program". Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  3. "NCHH Healthy Homes Principles
  4. EPA's Radon Information
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