Healthy Homes
BCHD Services
Do you or someone you know have issues with indoor air quality, lead-based paint, fire hazards, slips/trips/fall prevention, or pest control in the home?
Click here to request a free healthy home visit!
Broome County Health Department is hosting a photo and art contest!
What makes a neighborhood healthy?
Is it green space to think or friendly people next door? A safe street to play on and clean air to breathe? Sidewalks with enough room for strollers, runners, and dog walkers? There are many different ways that a place can be healthy.
Broome County Health Department is holding a photo and art contest to find out what a healthy neighborhood means to YOU!
How can you enter?
Send a photo or drawing (or painting, or collage, or video!) to BCHealth@broomecountyny.gov with the subject line "Healthy Homes Contest." Your submission should show what a healthy neighborhood means to you. Please include your first name and the name of your town in the body of the email. You may also include your age if you are comfortable doing so.
Who can enter?
This contest is open to all residents of Broome County of any age.
What will you win?
The winner will receive a basket of FREE spring cleaning, safety, and summer fun supplies courtesy of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, Healthy Neighborhoods, and HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Programs! The winning submission will be announced shared on our website, our Facebook page, and Instagram page on April 30th 2024!
Why April?
The first week of April is National Public Health Week! We spend the week celebrating different aspects of public health. This year, Tuesday April 2nd is Healthy Neighborhoods Day! The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has also chosen April as Healthy Homes Month. As people begin their spring cleaning and spending more time outdoors, we think April is the perfect time to explore all the ways that where we live impacts our physical, social, and mental health.
Are there any rules?
Only one entry is allowed per participant. We ask that you please be respectful of other people in your community By entering this contest you grant Broome County Health Department the right to publish your submission on the Broome County Health Department website and associated social media accounts.
And remember: have fun!
The Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP) is a FREE program committed to creating healthier neighborhoods one home at a time by reducing environmental health and safety issues in the home. HNP provides in-home safety visits with FREE safety supplies for qualifying Broome County residents.
Schedule your free home safety survey using the referral form at the top of this page. For more information, call 607.778.2847.
Lead is a toxic substance that is commonly found in deteriorated lead paint in homes, especially those built before the mid-1970’s. Broome County Health Department can provide free inspections to help local property owners and tenants identify potential lead hazards in their homes and aid them in correcting the hazards in a lead-safe way. We offer:
- FREE lead safety educational materials
- FREE lead hazard screenings of eligible housing
- FREE advice from an EPA certified Risk Assessor on how to control lead hazards cheaply and effectively
- FREE EPA Lead Renovator training for eligible property owners, managers and maintenance personnel
- Some FREE lead-safe work supplies (primer, brushes, cleaning supplies, protective equipment) per eligible housing unit
- One FREE property clearance test per unit after lead hazard control work is finished
Schedule your lead inspection using the referral form at the top of this page. For more information, call 607.778.2847.
Visit the New York State Department of Health to learn how you can protect your children. Learn about common sources of lead exposure from the CDC.
HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Grant funding is available through Broome County Health Department to address lead-based paint hazards in privately-owned housing units in Broome County built before 1978. Remediation work may include painting, enclosure, removal, and replacement of windows and other surfaces or components that contain lead hazards.
Certain eligibility requirements must be met, including occupant income (not the income of property owners, if the unit is a rental). Review the HUD grant application to learn or to apply. Call the Broome County Health Department at 607.778.2847 for more information.
Broome County Health Department offers an 8-hour EPA Lead Renovator Training once a month. This training is required under the EPA Remodeling, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule for anyone doing window replacement or disturbing paint (more than 6 square feet of interior paint or 20 square feet of exterior paint) in a pre-1978 home for compensation, including rent, such as painters, contractors, maintenance personnel, landlords, plumbers, etc.
Call us at 607.778.2847 for a schedule of classes or to sign up for the next one. Trainings are also available through:
Healthy Homes FAQ
Broome County Health Department does not regulate or provide services to address bed bugs. Complaints regarding bed bugs should be directed to your local code enforcement officer.
Bed bugs, although an annoyance, are unable to transmit disease and are not harmful or hazardous to your health. Learn more about bed bugs and how to control them by visiting the NYSDOH website.
Broome County Health Department can investigate complaints about indoor air quality, provide recommendations for improvement, and suggest laboratories for testing. Air quality problems may include PCB, asbestos, chlordane, radon and chlorinated solvents.
Schedule a residential air quality inspection using the referral form at the top of this page. For more information, call 607.778.2847.
Visit the CDC’s website to learn more about indoor air quality.
Broome County Health Department does not regulate or provide services to address mold.
Mold needs moisture to grow. NYSDOH provides some common sources of moisture. If you find mold in your home, you may be able to clean it up yourself. The EPA provides home mold cleanup tips. More widespread mold problems may need to be addressed by a professional contractor.
Visit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to learn more about mold and health.
Broome County Health Department does not regulate or provide services to address radon.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring gas that is radioactive. Learn more about radon from the CDC.
The only way to know if you have radon in your home is to test for it. Test kits are commonly sold at hardware stores. If you have elevated radon levels in your home, you can have a radon mitigation system installed. Visit NYSDOH to learn more about radon and free post-mitigation test kits.
If your child’s blood lead level is elevated, you will receive a call from one of our Public Health Nurses to discuss follow-up testing, how to reduce your child’s lead exposure, and how to decrease their blood lead level. One of our Lead Inspectors will set up a time to come to your home and look for potential lead hazards and give suggestions to fix them.
I’m a healthcare provider and one of my patients has an elevated blood lead level. What should I do?
All blood lead tests must be reported to NYSDOH in accordance with NYS Public Health Law and regulations. Learn more on blood lead testing reporting requirements from NYSDOH.
NYS Public Health Law defines an elevated blood lead level in a child as 5 μg/dL. Patients with a blood lead level ≥45 μg/dL should be referred to Central/Eastern New York Lead Poisoning Resource Center (315-464-7584).
You must attend a Remodeling, Repair and Painting (RRP) training. Broome County Health Department offers trainings monthly. Find more information above.
We are also looking for contractors to perform lead abatement for our HUD Lead Hazard Control Grant! This grant creates lead safe housing for low-income families. Call us at 607-778-2487 to learn more.
MARY McFADDEN
DIRECTOR
Health Department
225 Front Street
Binghamton, NY 13905
PHONE: 607.778.3930
FAX: 607.778.2838
EMAIL: BCHealth@broomecountyny.gov
