Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts

Healthy Homes

The Springfield Healthy Homes Collaborative is a collaboration of community partners who have joined together to address the health issues faced by residents due to poor housing conditions. 


Lead Poisoning Prevention

PHIWM works with Square One to educate and address lead poisoning prevention in Hampden County.  This is funded by the MA DPH Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention.

  • Lead paint is the primary source of childhood lead exposure and Massachusetts has the 4th oldest housing stock in the country, making lead exposure a significant health risk for Massachusetts children.
  • Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield and Chicopee are all high risk communities. 
  • Children living in low-income communities are 3.6 times more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than those in high-income communities.
  • Multi-race children are 3.6 times more likely and Black children are 1.6 times more likely to have elevated blood lead levels compared to White children.
  • 2022 MA DPH Lead Poisoning Prevention Surveillance Report


With  HUD funding, the project will be focused on tracking and promoting resources for lead paint abatement.


For more information, visit Springfield Healthy Homes website.

Healthy Homes Asthma

PVAC has been working to address one of the root causes of asthma—unhealthy housing. From that work, we learned that to address asthma we had to bring together health care and housing services to remediate home conditions that link to asthma. In 2013, we received an EPA grant to start the Springfield Healthy Homes Collaborative, bringing together housing and health providers to address a broad range of healthy homes issues, including asthma and lead poisoning prevention.

 

In 2014 , PVAC began a partnership with Revitalize CDC to work on a healthy homes model of community health worker education, supplies, and home remediation.   Developed with technical assistance and funding from the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, as well as funding from Baystate Health, the Health Policy Commission and other funders, the Doorway to an Accessible, Healthy Home (DASHH) program is now led by Revitalize CDC and won the 2021 Healthcare Heroes Award for healthcare collaborations. This program has served over 1200 families in our region. 


For more information and to find services:


Sarita Hudson

Visit springfieldhealthyhomes.org or contact Sarita Hudson to learn more.

Coalition Building

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