Quality Improvement

NCHH is excited to announce the release of a valuable new resource for those working to institute or expand the delivery of home-based asthma services. Building Systems to Sustain Home-Based Asthma Services is a new eLearning and technical assistance platform designed to equip staff in public health agencies, state asthma-control programs, state Medicaid agencies, and other housing and health organizations with information about how to build the systems, infrastructure, and financing to put home-based asthma services in place in their own states, communities, or regions. A collection of 10 free eLearning modules and the availability of technical assistance and support from a team of NCHH-lead experts and partners combine to maximize opportunities to launch and grow large-scale, evidence-based, sustainable asthma home visiting programs. Visit http://bit.ly/NCHH_eLearn or http://nchh.org/Program/EquippingStatesforReimbursement.aspx to learn more today!

ABSTRACT:

Poor quality housing is an ongoing environmental injustice placing a significant burden on low-income and minority families. The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) in Baltimore, MD, grew out of the historical healthy homes work of the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, an organization dedicated to using housing as a platform for health to ensure environmental and socialjustice for families and children in low-income communities. GHHI’s Healthy Homes Demonstration Project utilized the standards and practices created by GHHI: A Holistic Housing Assessment coupled with environmental health education and combined as an integrated environmental health and energy housing intervention for children with asthma, ages 2–14. The project braids resources from healthy homes, lead hazard reduction, weatherization, and energy efficiency projects to form a single multi-component, multi-factorial intervention. Findings from the health surveys at intake and six months after the intervention provide evidence of the impact on the reduction of asthma symptomatic episodes, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations, while showingimprovementsin school attendance and parents’ work attendance. Findings will provide evidence that improved health outcomes and more stable and productive homes in primarily African American, low-income neighborhoods are related to the mitigation of asthma triggers and home-based environmental health hazards. Upstream integrated housing interventions are an effective means to improve health, economic, and social outcomes for children diagnosed with asthma.

This tool kit is intended for organizations who want to start a new asthma home visit program or add to an existing program. It includes descriptions of each visit, pilot program data, lessons learned, successes, and more. The forms provided in the appendix of tools are for public use and can be edited to fit different organization’s needs. The guidance provided in this tool kit is not intended to replace comprehensive training prior to providing home visiting services to the public.