Wednesday: Health Matters Radio Show to Feature Lead Poisoning Prevention |
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Tune in to Doris Sexton-Harris from Health Matters on 90.7 FM WTCC at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC).
Guest will include:
- Karlos Reyes, Community Health Worker from Square One
- Nigel Greaves, Project Director from The City of Springfield-Office of Housing
Date: Wednesday, January 12
Time:1:00-2:00PM
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Jan.18th: Springfield Healthy Homes Coalition Meeting |
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Happy New Year! Please join us for our FIRST coalition meeting of the new year via Zoom conference, from 2-3 PM.
Agenda
Tuesday, January 18th, 2022
Call-in: 929-205-6099 Passcode: 413 739 7739
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Jan. 25th: MAAP-ing a Path to Address Asthma Inequities in MA
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Upcoming Webinar!
10 am - 1 pm EST | January 25, 2022
Keynote Speaker: Megan Sandel, MD
Connect with colleagues to discuss the state of asthma in MA and share lessons about programs and initiatives happening around the state (e.g., addressing asthma inequities through healthy housing, healthy schools, outdoor air quality, and asthma home visiting). Sarita Hudson and Dr. Krystal Pollitt will speak about the Pioneer Valley Healthy Air network and Colleen Loveless of Revitalize CDC will present on Healthy Homes! You will learn about the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan for Asthma in MA.
Who should attend ?
- Representatives from asthma coalitions, state and local asthma programs, community organizations, healthcare professionals, school nurses, patients, community health workers, and all stakeholders involved in asthma care across Massachusetts.
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New Lead Poisoning Report Shows Hampden County Cities at High Risk |
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The MA Department of Public Health has released its 2020 Annual Childhood Lead Poisoning Surveillance Report and our region continues to show high risk of children being poisoned. Holyoke and Springfield remain the highest risk in the state, Westfield is also at high risk, along with Chicopee which has joined as a high risk community. High risk communities are determined by the examining rates of newly poisoned children, the age of housing, and income levels.
For the first time, DPH has identified rural clusters of children with elevated or poisoned blood lead levels including 3 in Western MA: the North Quabbin (with the highest rate for a rural cluster), West Franklin and parts of the Hilltowns. Children living in low-income communities are nearly 4 times more likely to have elevated BLLs than those in high-income communities. Multi-race children are 3 times more likely to have lead poisoning than white children. The full report includes more information on lead topics, including equity and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected screening and prevalence rates.
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January is National Radon Action Month |
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Radon rates second, only to smoking, as a leading cause of lung cancer in the United States of America. Unlike many other indoor environmental health hazards, this threat cannot be seen, smelled or even tasted such as some household poisons. View HUD's Radon Factsheet
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Take Advantage of these Community Resources |
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WayFinders Home Modification Loan Program
Interested in applying?
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Housing Navigator of Massachusetts
Housing Navigator Massachusetts is hosting a demonstration of its affordable housing search tool for service providers. This hour-long info session with Q&A targets professionals working with people who are searching for housing in MA.
Current dates and times, include:
- February 9 at 11am
- February 22 at 10am
Please note these sessions are overviews and not intended for individual renters. Please sign up here for a general provider session.
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Emergency Rental Assistance |
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- Applicants must now have at least one month of rent arrears to become eligible rather than receiving assistance in advance.
- Applicants seeking another 3-month rent stipend will need to fall one month behind on rent then reapply.
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The maximum cap for resources from the state's Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program also decreased from $10,000 to $7,000.
According to the DHCD, they've made these changes to preserve funding for emergency rental assistance. Read the CHAPA report here.
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New Lead Poisoning Prevention Video |
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Please watch and share this video that predominantly targets children 3-6 years of age of a local boy by the name of Jose, as he embarks on the educational journey of learning about lead poisoning provided by his friend, Leady Lucy.
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