Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Receives Grant to Advance Salt Lake Asthma Pay for Success Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Tom Waldron, 410-962-5707

January 10, 2017

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Receives Grant to Advance Salt Lake Asthma Pay for Success Project

Baltimore, MD – Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), along with partners University of Utah Health Plans and Salt Lake County Office of Regional Development, is a proud recipient of a sub-grant from Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) totaling $200,264. The funding stems from the federal Social Innovation Fund, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service that seeks to mobilize private resources to find and grow evidence-based social programs. This award will support GHHI and Salt Lake partners in scaling a comprehensive intervention to improve outcomes for people with severe asthma.

The intervention focuses on preventing avoidable asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits for children and adults in low-income communities along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Going beyond solely providing medication, University of Utah Health Plans and Salt Lake County Office of Regional Development will also provide targeted case management, home visits, behavioral education, home assessments, and environmental asthma trigger removal to the families of asthma patients.

“The mission of GHHI to scale evidence-based practices to create healthier homes in Salt Lake will be greatly bolstered by NFF’s support,” explained Ruth Ann Norton, GHHI’s President and CEO. “Through a coordinated intervention that eliminates environmental triggers that exacerbate asthma, the Salt Lake Asthma Pay for Success Project will reduce medical costs, improve school and work attendance, and significantly save taxpayer dollars.”

“This innovative Salt Lake County effort is assisting households reduce environmental triggers of asthma attacks, helping families feel better and save money on medical bills. It’s part of our effort to support a healthy community in our metro area,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams.

“In the past two years, we have been able to improve the quality of life of the children and families we serve through this collaborative model. In addition to improving lives, this approach has also reduced healthcare costs,” said Josette T. Dorius, University of Utah Health Plans Clinical Operations Director. “We look forward to expanding these efforts and continuing our partnership.”

Since 2014, Nonprofit Finance Fund has awarded $3.4 million in grants through funding from the Social Innovation Fund’s Pay for Success initiative. NFF’s funds and implementation expertise help promising projects move from the design phase to launch.

“The Social Innovation Fund was proud to support GHHI as they conducted feasibility studies around the country building the evidence base for this asthma model, and we are excited to see the Salt Lake work advance into transaction structuring,” said Lois Nembhard, Acting Director of the Social Innovation Fund. “This award will not only help improve the outcomes of families in the Salt Lake area, it will help establish a new tool to address social determinants of health.”

The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) is a national nonprofit dedicated to breaking the link between unhealthy housing and unhealthy families. Formerly known as the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, GHHI provides evidence-based direct services and technical assistance to create healthy, safe, and energy efficient homes. GHHI’s end goal is to improve health, economic, and social outcomes for low-income families while reducing public and private healthcare costs. To learn more, please visit www.ghhi.org/payforsuccess and follow us @HealthyHousing.

About University of Utah Health Plans

University of Utah Health Plans (UUHP) began in 1998 and now serves over 155,000 members through the administration of medical, mental health, and pharmacy benefits for self-funded employer groups as well as government programs including Medicare and Medicaid. UUHP values innovation and collaboration. As a health care partner, the organization is committed to improving the health of the community, providing access to the highest quality of care, and delivering exceptional value to its members, clients, and the community. To learn more, please visit uhealthplan.utah.edu

About Salt Lake County Office of Regional Development

Salt Lake County Office of Regional Development has been implementing the GHHI healthy homes model as “GHHI-Salt Lake” since 2011. The County collaborates with over 15 local organizations to coordinate healthy housing resources and services for people in low-income communities. With a “whole-house” approach, SLCO strives to produce sustainable, healthy, and safe homes through removal of environmental asthma triggers as well as mitigation of radon gas, lead-based paint, safety hazards, and energy inefficiencies.To learn more, please visit slco.org/regional-development/

About Nonprofit Finance Fund

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) unlocks the potential of mission-driven organizations through tailored investments, strategic advice, and accessible insights. A leading community development financial institution with over $250 million in assets under management, NFF has provided $620 million in financing and access to additional capital in support of over $2.3 billion in projects for thousands of organizations nationwide. NFF curates the Pay for Success Learning Hub: www.payforsuccess.org and helps organizations evaluate and prepare for outcomes-based funding opportunities. NFF is headquartered in New York City and serves clients from five offices across the country. www.nff.org

About the Social Innovation Fund

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. The SIF empowers organizations to identify and support sustainable solutions that are already making a significant impact in transforming communities. For more information, visit nationalservice.gov