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!
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
Request a lead inspection online using our referral form or 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 more 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
Any house or apartment built before 1978 could have lead-based paint hazards. It is very important that any repair or remodeling work is done safely to prevent lead-exposure. Without proper training, someone trying to fix the lead problem could make it a lot worse. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains a database of contractors and firms that are certified to work with lead-based paint safely. Click here to search the database and find a trained professional!
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 New York State Department of Health website to learn more about indoor air quality.
One of the biggest contributors to poor indoor air quality is tobacco smoke. Learn more about how Broome County Health Department can help create smoke-free environments!
Broome County Health Department does not regulate or provide services to address mold.
Mold needs moisture to grow. NYSDOH provides some information on 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 the New York State Department of Health website to learn more about radon and testing.
If your child’s blood lead level is elevated, you will receive a call from one of our lead care coordinators to discuss follow-up testing, how to reduce your child’s lead exposure, and how to decrease their blood lead level. You can help by:
- Cleaning floors and window sills with a damp paper towel
- Keeping children away from areas of chipping and peeling paint
- Making sure your child is eating a diet full of iron, calcium, and vitamin C
We will also set up a time for our EPA-certified lead risk assessors to come to your home to look for potential lead hazards and give suggestions to fix them. For more information on what you can do to help your child, call 607-778-2847.
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.
The type of follow-up a child needs is determined by how high their blood lead level is and the type of test. Visit the New York State Department of Health website for the latest guidelines.
NYS Public Health Law and Codes, Rules, and Regulations defines an elevated blood lead level in a child as ≥5 μg/dL. Patients with a blood lead level ≥25 μg/dL should be referred to Central/Eastern New York Lead Poisoning Resource Center (315-464-7584).
Our lead care coordinators attempt to contact the family of every child with blood lead test ≥5 μg/dL. To speak with a lead care coordinator about a mutual patient, please call 607-778-2839.
Great! You will need to attend a Remodeling, Repair and Painting (RRP) training. Broome County Health Department offers trainings monthly. Find more information above under "Lead Renovator Trainings."
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 607-778-2847 to learn more.
LYNETTE BELLMORE, LMSW
INTERIM DIRECTOR
Health Department
225 Front Street
Binghamton, NY 13905
PHONE: 607.778.3930
FAX: 607.778.2838
EMAIL: BCHealth@broomecountyny.gov
