Housing is Healthcare
As an organization whose work is rooted in preserving generational wealth derived from home equity, preventing the displacement of long-term residents, and confronting racial inequities in housing, we are proud to count Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as one of our trusted community partners. Since 2018, we have been working together through the Community Asthma Prevention Program Plus (CAPP+) Home Repairs Program. CAPP+ builds upon CHOP’s highly effective community health worker (CHW) model to add free home repairs targeting asthma triggers to the service menu for families of children with asthma. Beyond just making good sense, this partnership enriches our shared vision for healthy, thriving Philadelphia communities.
CAPP+ participant Amanda Dobbs shared that one year after receiving major repairs in her home she is still “singing the program’s praises.” She says she used to “live with the fear that someone would report me to child protective services because of the condition of the home” and what a gift it is to no longer have that hanging over her head.
How does it work?
RTP staff and subcontractors work collaboratively with CHOP CHWs to identify eligible families, build relationships, and develop comprehensive treatment plans that combine preventive education, medical resources and structural home repairs to reduce asthma symptoms. From 2018 to 2021, a total of 97 homes were repaired through CAPP+.
The success of CAPP+ is described in a recent paper titled, A Health System-Initiated Intervention to Remediate Homes of Children With Asthma in the Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics. You can access the full paper for a fee here.
Some notable findings include:
Parents described improvements in their child’s asthma after home repairs, including fewer asthma symptoms and a less frequent need for emergency asthma relief medications. “It’s better because I don’t have to worry about constantly having him on the [nebulizer] or making these visits to the hospital. The trips [to the doctor] have definitely come down a lot,” shared one homeowner.
CAPP+ participants reported quality of life improvements extending beyond their child’s physical health. Several noted that the aesthetic improvements to their home were as meaningful to them as improvements in their child’s asthma. “Our floor in the living room when they first put it down, they looked like a sample house. They looked perfect, like out of a magazine. And I wanted to maintain it. It brings the house to life,” said one homeowner.
A small number of homeowners also felt that home repairs allowed them to remain in the home for longer than would otherwise have been possible. “It removes some burden for me on things that could have possibly become a real headache for me and even forced me and my family to be without a home. Because some of those repairs, you’re not able to pay out of pocket for them if you don’t have money saved or someone to assist you with making those repairs,” said one homeowner.
This collaboration demonstrates what is possible when we employ a holistic approach to health and recognize housing as an integral piece of healthcare.
To cite: Strane D, Flaherty C, Kellom K, et al. A Health System-Initiated Intervention to Remediate Homes of Children With Asthma. Pediatrics. 2023; 151(5):e2022058351
