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The Connecticut Department of Public Health's (CT DPH) vision is that "Every Connecticut resident lives in a healthy and safe home environment." Recognizing the need for a more integrated approach to improving home-based health outcomes, a Healthy Homes Team, representing seven single-hazard focused programs and indoor air quality was formed with the mission "to develop statewide partnerships and implement comprehensive policies and coordinated program activities that foster a healthy and safe home environment, reduce housing related health disparities, and improve the public's health.
Scientific evidence has established the link between housing conditions and inhabitants’ health. Hazards in the home environment cause or exacerbate a number of illnesses and injuries. For example, dust, mold, environmental tobacco secondhand smoke (SETHS) and pests trigger asthma; radon and secondhand smoke ETS cause lung cancer; household lead-based paint hazards are is the major source of lead poisoning in children; carbon monoxide and chemicals in household products can lead to poisonings; and lack of safety railings or window guards can result in preventable injuries falls.
As health and housing professionals learn more about the relationship between home environments and health, the need for addressing multiple hazards in a more coordinated and systemic way is becoming apparent. The rationale for adopting a healthy homes approach is simple: by using education and physical interventions to simultaneously address the shared, underlying causes of multiple home hazards, agencies and organizations will decrease costs, increase efficiency, and improve health outcomes.
(Taken from the Connecticut Department of Public Health Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, April, 2011- Facilitated by: Asthma Regional Council of New England, Program of Health Resource in Action)
Fact Sheets on the Seven Principles of Healthy Homes
Putting on AIRS-Asthma Indoor Risk Strategies was developed by the New London County Ledge Light Health District. Putting on AIRS is a program that provides a free in-home assessment of asthma triggers and patient education. An Environmental Specialist will conduct an environmental assessment of the home, looking for key triggers that can make asthma worse. Also patient education on medication, asthma signs and symptoms, and effective asthma management will be provided to the family by an Asthma Education Specialist. The specialists will discuss the findings and make suggestions to help control asthma triggers.
Other Resources:
American Lung Association (ALA) Asthma at Home
Asthma Home Environmental Checklist
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Asthma Publications & Resources
Asthma Regional Council (ARC)-Links to healthy homes resources