Healthy Indoors Magazine
Issue link: https://hi.healthyindoors.com/i/1095622
22 | March 2019 Headline a CHW, depending on individual needs and willingness to continue with the program. The CHWs noticed that many deferrals were the result of client hoarding disorder. They are currently developing an alternative pathway for these clients that will result in increased services and more CHW visits prior to the start of weatherization work, in the hope of decreasing these deferrals. Some Key Outcomes from the Pilot The results are not comprehensive but yield insights into the potential for collaborative CHW and Wx+H interventions to influence positive health outcomes. Here are some of the outcomes: • 86% of households with follow-up home assessments reported taking two or more actions to reduce environ- mental triggers or improve medical management. • 65% of clients had improved asthma control and 70% of asthma patients reported an improvement in quality of life. • The greatest areas of improvement for asthma patients were: • Symptoms (coughing and chest tightness) • Sleep (better sleep for patients and caregivers) • Anxiety, frustration and worry so I explained how these things were affecting his child's asth- ma." Andres-Cornelio reinforced the HHE's messages and the client allowed her to replace some of his cleaning products with a green cleaning kit. CHWs help families identify and problem-solve for poten- tial barriers, as well as refer households to other resources such as food and furniture banks, early learning, behavioral health and legal services. Households in the pilot project received anywhere from one to four educational visits with Elodia Andres-Cornelio spends time talking with a mother of four about her asthma symptoms. "I did like how they assessed both of my children's asthma and they checked the medicine that was in my cupboard. . . They explained to me that there was two differ- ent types of asthma and they showed me pictures and stuff ...They did more than the doctors did. She told me things to do, clean my windows and stuff like this and vacuum rugs and stuff like that. We have noticed a big change inside our home since the work was done. We have been doing what the (Community Health) Worker recommended and we've noticed our electrical bill is not high anymore. My daughter's asthma has improved because I now know the right stuff to put in the nebulizer and they put it all out on paper which is something the doctors didn't do. Seniors like myself, that are just living out of an SSI paycheck…that sometimes have to pick if they eat or pay to have a roof over them. After the weatherization work, my winter bills dropped from $300 a month to $90-150. ...Now I have air conditioning in my mobile home...But when I go out to drive on a hot day...in my pickup without air conditioning, I start wheezing quite a bit. As long as I'm in the house, it's fine.