Booklet focuses on keeping children safe and healthy where they worship

WASHINGTON — In accordance with Children’s Health Month, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the release of a new EPA booklet, “Supporting Healthy Houses of Worship: Effective, Affordable Measures to Protect the Health of Congregations and Staff,” on a call recently with faith-based leaders across the country. This booklet is designed to provide places of worship with information on actions they can take to reduce environmental health risks, with a special emphasis on children’s health, as children are particularly vulnerable to many environmental risks.

“Churches and houses of worship play a vital role in American society, and we are providing them with voluntary recommendations for effective and affordable measures to protect the health of their congregations and staff,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This booklet is an important part of EPA’s efforts during Children’s Health Month to highlight all our programs and resources available to protect children where they live, learn and play.”

The booklet is designed to identify some of the most common types of environmental health concerns (e.g., lead, mercury, mold/moisture, radon exposures, etc.) found in older facilities and contains voluntary recommendations that maintenance staff may use to limit risks to congregations. It also provides one-stop access to learn some facts about these issues and existing low-cost or no-cost measures to prevent, reduce and resolve each of the highlighted environmental issues.

To view the booklet: h ps:// www.epa.gov/education/supporting-healthy-houses-worship.

To learn more about EPA’s activities and programs that support environmental education, visit: h ps://www.epa. gov/education.

Jackson County infant mortality rate moves in positive direction

Jackson County’s infant mortality rate is showing signs of improvement, according to 2017 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) data which indicates a decline in the overall infant mortality rate.

From 2003-2007 the five year average rate of 8.8 infant deaths per 1000 live births compared 2013-2017 average rate of 7.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. This is still above the Michigan five year average of

6.8 for that same time frame (2013-2017). “While we are encouraged by the trends, there is still much work to do” says Aimee Fors FIMR Health Educator for the Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) program at the Jackson County Health Department.

Infant mortality is defined as the death of a live-born baby before his or her first birthday. It is often used as a measure of a community’s overall health, reflecting environmental conditions, individual and family health, health care received, and social/living conditions. It is also a predictor of the health status of the next generation. Jackson County’s Infant Mortality data shows from 2013-2107 Jackson County averaged 13 infant deaths per year. The three leading causes of infant death in Jackson County are prematurity, sleep related deaths and birth defects. Both Jackson County and Michigan struggle to decrease sleep related infant deaths. In Michigan 731 infants died in unsafe sleep environments from 2012-2016, indicating that not all parents and caregivers are ge ing the message about safe sleep practices. By eliminating just the unsafe sleep deaths, Michigan’s infant mortality rate could be reduced below the national average. “The loss of these babies to unsafe sleep environments is such a tragedy, particularly since such deaths are 100 percent preventable,” Fors said.

For more information, contact Aimee Fors, Jackson County FIMR Health Educator (517)768-2123.