In this issue...
Meetings and Events
State News
OHHN News
National, International



Ohio Healthy Homes News
February 2016  
 

Ohio Healthy Homes Network 
1051 East Main Street 
Columbus, Ohio 43205
(614) 289-8812

 

 
 
Meetings and Events 

StopPests in Housing is holding a webinar, "Bed Bug Control Starts with Good Contracts" on March 22, 1 - 2:30 pm. To register for this live event, click HERE.

Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) will hold the  Housing Ohio Annual Conference on April 11 - 13 in Columbus.

The Cuyahoga County Bed Bug Task Force will meet Tuesday, April 21 at 1 pm at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (contact 216-201-2000).  

Radon Stakeholder Meeting, April 21, 8 am - 5 pm, Hampton Inn Downtown, Cincinnati. Contact the Ohio Department of Health or call 1-800-523-4493 for more information. Please note corrected date from the January newsletter.

The 2016 Lead and Healthy Housing Conference will be held May 2- 5 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
 
Save the Date for the 18th Annual Ohio Housing Conference, November 8-10, 2016 in Columbus.

Please send information on upcoming events through our website at www.OHHN.org using the Contact Us feature. 
State News Articles

Bed Bugs

The University of Minnesota is asking for help in determining where in Ohio they should target a bed bug workshop.  To complete a brief survey, click HERE. For more information, contact Amelia Shindelar.

Lead - Cleveland

How local media coverage is forcing Cleveland to try to finally fix its lead problem

Cleveland seeking a few good lead poisoning detectives

Ohio Department of Health News

Ohio Lead Advisory Council (OLAC)

The featured topic at the February 25 OLAC meeting was an update from the City of Cleveland's lead program by Natoya Walker-Minor, Chief, Cleveland Department of Health with assistance from Tracy Martin Thompson, Special Assistant to the Mayor, Operational Assessment and Patrick Cusick, Deputy Commissioner, Environment, Cleveland Department of Public Health. 

Chief Walker said the City of Cleveland has triple the amount of cases of other Authorized Delegates and twice that of ODH. More than 85% of Cleveland's housing stock was built before 1978.  The City is cleaning up and updating data files in its backlog of 2400 cases; after this process is complete, the City will develop a strategy to address the backlog. One difficulty is the extreme lack of qualified public health lead investigators available for hire in the region. Therefore, the City will hold a symposium in April 2016 to develop a strategy to create a lead professional pipeline. Chief Walker requested ODH provide funding to bring the Cleveland program to scale, amend current requirements for public health lead investigators, make program audits more specific and increase advocacy for testing and education.

The Ohio Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund was also discussed at length. In spite of many efforts over more than a decade, the Fund has never received an appropriation or been provided with a source of income by the State of Ohio. As a result, the Fund could be eliminated.

Selected Statistics from the Lead Program (October 2014 - September 2015)

Abatement Program:

Number of original lead abatement project notifications received: 775

Number of inspections total: 317   
- Of these, 230 were site inspections, 5 training course audits, 81 record reviews and 1 tip or complaint investigation.

Number of Minor enforcement actions initiated: 38

Number of Major enforcement actions initiated: 1

Number of Major enforcement actions settled: 2

Renovation Program:

RRP training course audits: 14

OHHN News       

Become a member of OHHN and help us promote healthy, safe, affordable housing!

There's still time to renew your membership in OHHN - or, if you have never been a member - to consider joining.

Annual dues are $60 for agency, organizations or firms while individuals pay $35.  Your dues help support the Healthy Homes Forums, www.OHHN.org, our monthly newsletter and policy development initiatives.

You can now complete an on-line membership form and pay by credit card. Or you can download the 2016 membership form, complete it and send it to our PO Box with your check.

New Officers Elected for 2016

President: Kevin McCoy, Training and Technical Manager,
Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development

Vice President: Phillip Bouton,
Program Manager, Healthy Homes Program, Columbus Public Health

Secretary: Cynthia Flaherty, Housing Consultant

Treasurer: Jackie Cautela, Property Manager
Chatham Village Condos


A Note of Thanks to Retiring Board Members

At the end of 2016, OHHN board members, Mark Current (President), Laurie Sutherland (Vice-President) and Daniel Sullivan (Program Committee Chair) and completed their terms.  Each of them served for multiple years and had significant responsibilities.  OHHN appreciates the passion, creativity and leadership they brought to OHHN and wishes them the best in future endeavors. 
Lead in the News

Lead in Flint

National and International News
About Us

The mission of the Ohio Healthy Homes Network (OHHN) is to promote healthy, safe and affordable housing for people of all ages.  Visit our website and check out our Facebook page.

 

Disclaimer: The e-newsletter and web site of the Ohio Healthy Homes Network (OHHN) are published by Ohio Healthy Homes Network. OHHN strives to maintain the currency and accuracy of this e-newsletter but makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness of any information contained in this newsletter or linked to by this newsletter. This newsletter is for informational purposes only and OHHN will not accept liability for any damage or injury caused by its use. OHHN does not endorse or guarantee any goods or services mentioned herein and cannot be held liable for the content of any advertisement or performance of any OHHN member.