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NH Partners for Healthy Schools

Orientation

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NH Partners for Healthy Schools History and Development

Lindsay Dearborn, M.Ed., MPHNH Asthma Control Program

Division of Public Health ServicesNH Department of Health and Human Services

Edward Murdough, PEAdministratorBureau of School Approval & Facility ManagementNH Department of Education

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Program Outline

1. Orientation Meeting

2. Building and Asthma Management Issues Training; Data Collection

3. Building Assessment and Walkthrough Training; Data Collection

4. Building Walkthrough; Data Collection

5. Planning and Implementation: Review Data, Set Priorities, Develop Work Plan, Implement, Evaluate

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Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)• Roles and Responsibilities

• NH Partners for Healthy Schools • Nashua School District

– Amherst Street Elementary School– Bicentennial Elementary School– Charlotte Ave Elementary School– Dr. Crisp Elementary School– Fairgrounds Elementary – Fairgrounds Middle School– Ledge St Elementary School

• Duration: 12-24 months, adjusted as needed

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MOU Roles & Responsibilities

NH Partners for Healthy Schools

• Provide orientation and training

• Assign mentor(s) and provide technical assistance

• Participate in Healthy Schools Team meetings

• Facilitate baseline and intervention data collection

• Identify needs/problems as well as assets and barriers

• Assist Healthy Schools Teams in selecting feasible objectives and activities to address needs

• Assist schools in developing and implementing a work plan

• Evaluate the impact of interventions, document accomplishments

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MOU Roles & ResponsibilitiesSchool District/Schools

• Assemble Healthy Schools Teams

• Identify key contacts

• Obtain support from key school personnel

• Participate in orientation and planning meetings; summarize meetings, record the process, outline next steps.

• Conduct pre- and post assessments

• Identify needs, assets and barriers

• Select feasible objectives and activities to address needs

• Develop and implement an improvement/work plan

• Share lessons learned

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KEYS TO SUCCESS

• Build diverse Healthy Schools Team

• Identify key school contact and an asthma “champion”

• Use a work plan and timetable to implement activities

• Recognize and resolve problems or obstacles

• Obtain administration and other school personnel support

Program Partners & Interventions

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• Address asthma from a public health perspective

• Reduce the impact of the disease

NH Asthma Control Program

• Develop statewide partnerships

• Increase public awareness

• Improve health outcomes

• Reduce environmental risks

• Provide asthma surveillance information

Program Contact: Lindsay Dearborn, M.Ed., MPHPhone: (603) 271-0855, Fax: (603) 271-8705 Email: ldearborn@dhhs.state.nh.us

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Building Aid and School Health Consultant Programs

• Provide up to 60% of the cost of new construction or substantial renovation of school buildings

• Provide information and technical advice concerning school health issues & planning, construction, and maintenance of school facilities

Program Contacts:Edward R. Murdough, PE, Administrator Katherine Rannie, RN, MSCPhone (603) 271-2037 (603) 271-3891 emurdough@ed.state.nh.us krannie@ed.state.nh.us

Provide educational leadership and services

Promote equal educational opportunity and quality services and programs

Enable New Hampshire residents to become fully productive members of society

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• Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) – Free, downloadable EPA software tool that can help school districts evaluate

and manage their school facilities.

• Clean Air Zones – adopt a “no-idling” policy and protect the health of all who enter the

schoolyard from the harmful effects of exhaust fumes.

• Radon – long term testing and consultation available from the DES from November

February.

• Asbestos – Consultation, inspections, & enforcement of the Asbestos Hazard

Emergency Response Act

Program Contact: Jessica Morton, Indoor Air Quality Specialist, NH DESPhone (603) 271-3911jessica.morton@des.nh.gov

Sustain a high quality of life for all citizens by protecting and restoring the Environment and the public’s health in New Hampshire.

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Asthma Care for Kids™• A presentation for school personnel and child care providers

• Topics include: asthma triggers, warning signs, Symptoms care plans, what to do in emergencies

• Helping children breathe easier and creating a healthier indoor environment.

• Additional programs: Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), Lending Library, and No Butts About It ™ (NBAI)

Program Contact: Lisa Stockwell, Asthma Program ManagerPhone: (603) 669-2411lstockwell@breathenh.org

Support healthy breathing for all NH residents.

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Program Contact: Kirk Stone, NH Partnership for High Performance Schools(603) 717-7060 kstone@nhphps.org

An initiative of The Jordan Institute

Improve the environment, the economy and public health by reducing fossil fuel use in buildings.

Granite State Energy Efficiency Program (GSE2)

•Full building energy efficiency assessments

•Solutions development – project planning

•Financial modeling

Other initiatives•Environmentally responsive site planning

•Environmentally preferable materials and products/ Green Cleaning

•Renewable energy technologies

•High efficiency electric lighting

•High performance heating/ventilation/air-conditioning

•Recycling and Composting waste

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Tools for Schools

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor Air Quality program for schools (www.epa.gov/iaq/schools)

• Development of IAQ teams in over a hundred schools in NH

• 1 on 1 assistance

NH Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health

Advocate for occupational health and safety and workers' rights

Educate NH workers

Help workers and unions get technical, educational and legal services

Program Contact: Sandi Chabot, NH Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health(603) 226-0516schabot@nhcosh.org

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Provide programs and services that strengthen member governments and the ability of officials and employees to serve the public.

• Act as a catalyst for dialogue, advocacy and action• Advise on problems• Provide benefits and risk-management services• Provide education/training • Serve as a resource for information

Program Contact: Matt ComaiSchool Risk Management RepresentativePhone: (603) 224-7447 x 251, mcomai@nhlgc.org

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Council for Children & Adolescents

with Chronic Health Conditions (CCACHC)

Advocate and collaborate with state and local agencies to improve:

• Access to regular school and health care

• Community capacity to respond to needs of children and adolescents with chronic health conditions

• Delivery of services and support

Program Contact:Denise A. Brewitt, Executive Director(603) 271-7045dbrewitt@ccachc.org

IPM combines the use of biological, cultural, physical and chemical tactics to efficiently and responsibly manage pests.

Education and Training

Grant

Program Contact:Arife Ozkan, IPM Program Coordinator(603) 271-3118arife.ozkan@agr.state.nh.us

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

The goals of the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food’s School IPM Initiative are to assist schools throughout NH to voluntarily implement verifiable IPM, improve the health of the school communities, prevent the unnecessary use of pesticides, encourage the proper use of pesticides, and conserve both economic and environmental resources.

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Positive Outcomes• Reduce asthma triggers

• Reduce chemical/toxic exposures/pollutants

• Reduce use of inhalers/medication

• Reduce visits to the school nurse

• Reduce student and staff absenteeism due to illness

• Reduce pest infestations

• Reduce workers comp/liability for district

• Reduce operating/energy costs

• Increase functional space in school

• Create ownership of school issues

• Develop programs specific to needs and population

• Increase internal capacity to improve and change

• Improve teamwork in the school

• RESULT: HIGHER TEST SCORES!!!

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Connecticut Department of HealthSuccess Stories

• Chester ~ reduced asthma-related health visits from 463 to 82 over 4 years

• Hartford ~ reduced asthma incidents 21.2%

• Waterford ~ reduced IAQ health complaints 74%

• Hamden ~ reduced absenteeism 50%

• North Haven ~ reduced respiratory illness 48%

www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3140&q=387420

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Homework• Develop a communication plan• Build Healthy Schools Team(s) • Build support for the program • Start Collecting Data

+ Comfort Survey

+ School Employee Indoor Air Quality Questionnaire– # health office visits for asthma, allergies and other

respiratory health problems – # of absences due to same– # students with asthma– # students with asthma management plans– # students with asthma medication

Comfort Survey and Mapping

Sandra V. Chabot, Program Coordinator

NH Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (NHCOSH)

57 School Street 2nd Floor

Concord, NH 03301

603-226-0516

schabot@nhcosh.org

Baseline

• Survey and checklists are tools in the process

• Looking for patterns of time and symptoms

• Distribute to all school personnel

• Looking to understand the staff’s perception of the building’s

indoor environment

• Non-threatening environment

• Everyone under one umbrella

Comfort Survey & Mapping• Distribute as soon as possible - give a week to return and go

for 100% if possible

• Obtain a good map of school(s) with HVAC overlay

• Color code information and transfer to map

• Uses: Highlights locations where symptoms or discomfort are being reportedProvides a visual of issues and comfort zonesGuidance and direction for walkthroughHelps zone in on hot spots

• Get parents involved in process

Websites to Visit:

www.nhhealthyschoolenvironments.org

www.epa.gov/iaq/schools

www.edfacilities.org

www.cdc.gov

School Employee Indoor Air Quality Questionnaire

• Summarizes the burden of asthma and the health impact of the school’s air quality on it’s employees

• Should be confidential and contain no identifiable information (i.e., name and room number)

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Conclusion

• Dates for remaining meetings• Meeting 2:

Building and Asthma Management Issues• Common indoor air pollutants• Basic HVAC Principles • Asthma triggers and how to reduce them

Review School Employee Questionnaire Results