Dr. Ashwini Sehgal, CHEEER and PHERI faculty member, has been awarded $17.2 million by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for MetroHealth and multiple community partners to lead a program aimed at improving air quality in the homes of people with asthma in Greater Cleveland. Dr. Ther Aung, also CHEEER faculty, will be a Co-Investigator on the project.
Knowing the connection between asthma complications and the use of gas ranges, MetroHealth will work with community partners to replace gas ranges with electric ones in 1,200 homes where at least one resident has the respiratory condition. The work also will include upgrades to improve homes’ electrical systems and ventilation and the installation of electric vehicle chargers. Seven community partners, led by Community Housing Solutions, will partner in the outreach to residents.
In Cleveland, one in five people have asthma. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranks Cleveland as one of the most challenging places to live with the condition because of high levels of air pollution as well as inadequate access to healthcare.
MetroHealth’s “Asthma, Indoor Pollution and Greenhouse Gases” project, among the first round of 21 projects throughout the nation to be funded through the federal Community Change Grant, is one of the largest of the $325 million allocation.
Ashwini Sehgal, MD, said the grant award is an acknowledgement of MetroHealth’s role as a leader in addressing the impact of the environment and climate change on public health, particularly in disadvantaged communities.