Can asthma-related illnesses in children be improved by identifying possible triggers inside the home and connecting families to remediation resources?

The project with Children’s National Health Systems (CNHS) aims to improve the asthma health of pediatric patients by identifying and remediating triggers in their homes, thereby reducing the number of asthma-related hospital visits. Building on their award-winning IMPACT DC Asthma program, CNHS leverages telehealth to conduct virtual home health visits with families living in Wards 7 and 8 in Washington, D.C., and in Prince George’s County, MD, to identify indoor asthma triggers and suggest remediation plans that address the problems at their root causes.

With a contract award from Fannie Mae, the CNHS team was able to:

• Hire a project coordinator, an IMPACT DC program lead, and a physician to lead all virtual health visits.
• Evaluate outcomes of the virtual visit program.

By the end of the contract with Fannie Mae, CNHS had engaged hundreds of families through virtual health visits and has provided a variety of home remediations through their partner, Yachad. CNHS plans to continue exploring reimbursement models through Managed Care Organizations to pay for virtual visits and home repair/remediation activities.

Fannie Mae is supporting another year of project work with Children’s National to expand on the success of the first contract. The new contract builds on the original concept, which aims to improve the asthma health of pediatric patients by identifying and remediating triggers in their homes, thereby reducing the number of asthma-related hospital visits. A healthy housing map helps identify multifamily properties in Washington, DC that contain pervasive asthma triggers such as pest infestation, water intrusion, and poor ventilation and suggest remediation plans that address the problems at their root cause. The goal of the project is to continue improving resident health outcomes while improving the quality and stability of multifamily housing.

With continued support from Fannie Mae, Children’s National Hospital and in partnership with Yachad, Children’s Law Center, and DC Healthy Housing Collaborative, the Children’s project will:

• Sustain the Virtual Home Visit (VHV) model by completing 75 virtual home visits and 100 home remediation measures
• Develop an interactive property-level map for Washington, DC that identifies high morbidity properties and their remediation needs
• Estimate the projected healthcare savings that could result from remediation at problematic properties
• Collaborate with Fannie Mae’s Multifamily Asset Management to review property inspection guidelines and identify opportunities to enhance them using findings from the mapping project

Children’s National Health Systems is the leading pediatric health system in the Washington, D.C., area with a health care experience designed around kids’ unique needs and a dedication to caring for children and the community.