1.
We need you.

2.
What does a child need
to succeed in life?

3.
A caring family.
A good education.
Excellent healthcare and nutrition.
Are we missing anything?

4.
What about a healthy home?

5.
The home is where a child
spends the first five years
of his or her life.

6.
But most people don’t think of
the home as having an
impact on a child’s health.

7.
Many people are
unsuspecting victims
of medical problems
caused by conditions
in their houses ...
THE FEDERAL INTERAGENCY
HEALTHY HOMES WORK GROUP

8.
When you think of an
unhealthy home,
what do you think of?

9.
Leaking roofs,
moisture, mold

10.
Damp basements,
mold

11.
Moisture, mold,
fungi growing
under a sink

12.
Tobacco
smoke

13.
Rodents

14.
Mice living in a
child’s mattress

15.
Cockroaches

16.
Moisture, mold, poor indoor
air quality and pests can trigger
allergies and asthma.

17.
With asthma, it’s hard to breathe.
In fact, it's the No. 1
reason kids chronically
miss school and
parents miss work.

18.
Asthma
is the leading cause of
emergency room visits at
Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

19.
Flaking lead
paint and dust

20.
Flaking lead
paint and dust
outdoors

21.
Lead hazards
where children
play

22.
Flaking, deteriorating lead
paint produces the dust that
can cause lead poisoning.

23.
Lead poisoning
causes brain damage
and stunts growth.
It causes social, behavioral
and learning disabilities.
It can cause death.

24.
The number of children
in Kent County with
lead poisoning is
more than twice the
national rate.

25.
Toxic products
within children’s
reach

26.
Rat poison
found near
children’s toys

27.
Carbon monoxide
exhaust escaping
into the house

28.
Unvented
appliances – a
source of carbon
monoxide

29.
Accidental poisoning
by household products,
pesticides, carbon monoxide
and radon cause serious
health issues such as cancer
… and even death.

30.
Unprotected
window at floor
level

31.
Exposed
electrical wiring

32.
An open hole in
a kitchen floor

33.
Scalding water

34.
Unsafe conditions can cause
burns, falls and other injuries –
which can lead to permanent health
problems … and even death.

35.
The breakdown:
1% Firearms
3% Drowning
5% Choking
& Suffocation
9%
Fire & Burns
34% Poisoning
2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
5% Other
43% Falls

36.
Thousands of children
each year are
hospitalized in our
area because of
injuries in the home.

37.
These are homes in our
community where children live.
And these conditions are
100 percent preventable.

38.
They can affect anybody, but
not everybody has the
resources to address them.

39.
We’ve achieved a lot
since 2006:
 Safety for kids
 Solutions for families
 Advocacy for change
But there’s more to do.

40.
One in four young
children in Kent County
lives in poverty.
1 in 4
CHILDREN

41.
80 percent of the families
we serve live at or below the
federal poverty level.
80% of
FAMILIES

42.
Which would you choose?
$8,000
to treat a child
with lead
poisoning.
OR
$8,000
to remove lead
from a home
so kids don’t
get sick in the
first place.

43.
Most “fixes” are simple
and inexpensive.

44.
Families want our help.
But they’re NOT looking
for a handout.

45.
They are our neighbors,
employees, friends … they
are our partners.

46.
We can partner with them,
and with property owners, to
prevent problems from
occurring in the first place.

47.
Fixing homes
is preventive medicine.

48.
Reactive v. Proactive.
What we spend now saves
so much later.

49.
Saving lives
is the greatest “ROI.”

50.
Lives such as…
Darion
Nyicear
La’Nieyah
Kylee

51.
What does a child need?
A caring family.
A good education.
Excellent healthcare and nutrition.
And, from the start, a healthy home.

52.
We need your help:
Understand the issues.
Make healthy homes a priority.
Work with us to partner,
provide opportunity.

53.
We need you to
Fight for
Healthy Homes