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May 2014
May is Asthma Awareness Month, recognizing a disease that affects 25.5 million Americans. Healthy homes training, offered through the Corporate and Career Development division at Greenville Technical College June 9-13, is designed to help participants take a holistic approach to identifying and resolving problems that impact the health and well-being of residents including managing pollutants and other triggers that may lead to attacks for those suffering from asthma. A two-day ?Essentials for Healthy Homes? course, June 9-10, identifies root causes of health problems in a home and links them to seven principles of healthy housing: keep it dry, keep it clean, keep it pest-free, keep it ventilated, keep it safe, keep it contaminant free, and maintain the house. The course is aimed at those who visit homes to provide health or inspection services of any type. The essentials course is followed by ?Healthy Homes Environmental Assessments: Principles & Practice? on June 11-12, which is designed to help participants apply their knowledge and skills. The two-day course builds on understanding the connection between health and housing and teaches a holistic approach to identifying, assessing, and analyzing common home environmental issues that threaten the health and safety of residents. Those who have completed ?Essentials for Healthy Homes? along with ?Healthy Homes Environmental Assessments? are eligible to take the ?Healthy Homes Rating System? course on June 13. In this final segment of the healthy homes training, participants learn about the new HUD Healthy Home Rating System (HHRS), a risk-based assessment process that identifies housing deficiencies and considers their effect by rating the seriousness of identified hazards and their potential effect on occupants. To find out more or register for this training, contact Joy Finch at 864-250-8155 or by e-mail at Joy.Finch@gvltec.edu.