NH Partners for Healthy Schools

1. NH Partners for Healthy Schools Orientation

2. NH Partners for Healthy Schools History and Development Lindsay Dearborn, M.Ed., MPHNH Asthma Control Program Division of Public Health Services NH Department of Health and Human Services Edward Murdough, PE Administrator Bureau of School Approval & Facility Management NH Department of Education

3. Program Outline • Orientation Meeting • Building and Asthma Management Issues Training; Data Collection • Building Assessment and Walkthrough Training; Data Collection • Building Walkthrough; Data Collection • Planning and Implementation: Review Data, Set Priorities, Develop Work Plan, Implement, Evaluate

4. 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

5. MOURoles & 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

6. MOURoles & 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

7. 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

8. Program Partners & Interventions

9. 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., MPH • Phone: (603) 271-0855, Fax: (603) 271-8705 Email: ldearborn@dhhs.state.nh.us

10. 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 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, MSC Phone (603) 271-2037 (603) 271-3891 emurdough@ed.state.nh.us krannie@ed.state.nh.us

11. Sustain a high quality of life for all citizens by protecting and restoring the Environment and the public’s health in New Hampshire. • 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 DES Phone (603) 271-3911 jessica.morton@des.nh.gov

12. Support healthy breathing for all NH residents. 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 Manager Phone: (603) 669-2411 lstockwell@breathenh.org

13. An initiative of The Jordan Institute • Improve the environment, the economy and public health by reducing fossil fuel use in buildings. Program Contact: Kirk Stone, NH Partnership for High Performance Schools (603) 717-7060 kstone@nhphps.org • 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

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

15. 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

16. Council for Children & Adolescentswith 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) 271-7045 dbrewitt@ccachc.org

17. 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. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) • 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) 271-3118 • arife.ozkan@agr.state.nh.us

18. PositiveOutcomes • 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!!! • 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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 reported Provides a visual of issues and comfort zones Guidance and direction for walkthrough Helps zone in on hot spots • Get parents involved in process

27. Websites to Visit: www.nhhealthyschoolenvironments.org www.epa.gov/iaq/schools www.edfacilities.org www.cdc.gov

28. 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)

29. 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