This grant will support mobile care foundation's (MCC) efforts to provide home environment assessments to its asthma and allergy patients

This $136,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 will support the Mobile Care Foundation's (MCF) efforts to provide home environment assessments and air quality monitoring to asthma and allergy patients in underserved areas of Chicago and its southern suburbs. Funded through EPA's $100K-or-less Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, MCF will sustain and expand its pilot program pairing virtual home assessments with air allergen sensors. Outputs will include educating patients and families on reducing indoor air pollutants and allergens while outcomes aim to significantly decrease school absences, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for patients through March 2023. No subawards are included in this assistance agreement supporting MCF's delivery of specialized telehealth services and home assessments to improve respiratory health in the local community.

During the pandemic, MCC and partners have piloted the use of air allergen sensors in conjunction with virtual home assessments. MCC proposes to sustain and expand the pilot program to a greater number of families through this project. Activities:MCC proposes to sustain and expand the pilot program to a greater number of families through this project. As families continue to recover from the covid pandemic, MCC would continue to pair home assessments and air monitoring with expanded telehealth access to allergy and asthma specialists. Outcomes:outputs will include significantly reduced air pollution/allergens in patients' homes, educating parents and other family members on methods of maintaining control of pollution/allergens, while outcomes will be a significant reduction in (or elimination of) school absences, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations due to asthma/allergies for patients in underserved areas of chicago and its southern suburbs. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.