We need you.
What does a child need to succeed in life?
A caring family.
A good education.
Excellent healthcare and nutrition.
Are we missing anything?
What about a healthy home?
The home is where a child spends the first five years
of his or her life.
But most people don’t think of the home as having an
impact on a child’s health.
Many people are unsuspecting victims of medical problems caused by conditions in their houses ...THE FEDERAL INTERAGENCY HEALTHY HOMES WORK GROUP
When you think of an unhealthy home,
what do you think of?
Leaking roofs, moisture, mold
Damp basements,
mold
Moisture, mold, fungi growing under a sink
Tobacco smoke
Rodents
Mice living in a child’s mattress
Cockroaches
Moisture, mold, poor indoor air quality and pests can trigger
allergies and asthma.
With asthma, it’s hard to breathe.
In fact, it's the No. 1 reason kids chronically miss school and parents miss work.
Asthma is the leading cause of
emergency room visits at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
Flaking lead paint and dust
Flaking lead paint and dust outdoors
Lead hazards where children play
Flaking, deteriorating lead paint produces the dust that can cause lead poisoning.
Lead poisoning causes brain damage
and stunts growth. It causes social, behavioral
and learning disabilities. It can cause death.
The number of children in Kent County with lead poisoning is more than twice the national rate.
Toxic products within children’s reach
Rat poison found near children’s toys
Carbon monoxide exhaust escaping into the house
Unvented appliances – a source of carbon monoxide
Accidental poisoning by household products,
pesticides, carbon monoxide and radon cause serious
health issues such as cancer … and even death.
Unprotected window at floor level
Exposed electrical wiring
An open hole in a kitchen floor
Scalding water
Unsafe conditions can cause burns, falls and other injuries –
which can lead to permanent health problems … and even death.
2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
The breakdown:
9% Fire & Burns
43% Falls
34% Poisoning
5% Other1% Firearms
3% Drowning
5% Choking & Suffocation
Thousands of children each year are hospitalized in our area because of injuries in the home.
These are homes in our community where children live.
And these conditions are 100 percent preventable.
They can affect anybody, but not everybody has theresources to address
them.
We’ve achieved a lot since 2006:
Safety for kids Solutions for families Advocacy for change
But there’s more to do.
One in four young children in Kent County lives in poverty.
1 in 4CHILDREN
80 percent of the families we serve live at or below the
federal poverty level.
80% ofFAMILIES
$8,000to treat a child
with lead poisoning.
$8,000to remove lead from a home so kids don’t get sick in the
first place.
OR
Which would you choose?
Most “fixes” are simple and inexpensive.
Families want our help.
But they’re NOT looking for a handout.
They are our neighbors, employees, friends … they
are our partners.
We can partner with them, and with property owners, to
prevent problems from occurring in the first place.
Fixing homes is preventive medicine.
Reactive v. Proactive.What we spend now saves
so much later.
Saving lives is the greatest “ROI.”
Lives such as…
Nyicear
KyleeLa’Nieyah
Darion
A caring family.
A good education.
Excellent healthcare and nutrition.
And, from the start, a healthy home.
What does a child need?
Understand the issues.
Make healthy homes a priority.
Work with us to partner, provide opportunity.
We need your help:
Fight for Healthy Homes
We need you to