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Tahoe
Newborn Radon Progrm
 Pennsylvania
has a program that offers all new mothers a free radon test
and information packet when they leave the hospital with their
new baby. This gives every newborn baby a chance of growing
up in a radon-free home. The plan was started in Pennsylvania
over 20 years ago, has over 70 hospitals participating and has
a success rate of over 40% (that is over 40% of those given
the free test kits actually test their homes. Similar programs
have been successfully adopted in other states: Alabama, Michigan,
New York, North Carolina and Utah all have asked for information
on Pennsylvania's program. The Utah Radon Program duplicated
Pennsylvania's effort in 2005 and won a statewide public service
award for its work.
KRNV
Channel 4 Reno newsbrief on Pennsylvania Governor Rendell's
promotion of the program. "PA Governor Rendell Taking New
Steps to Protect Pennsylvania Families from Radon:"
See
below for text of the news story.
Pennsylvania
PowerPoint Presentation
This useful Newborn Radon Program presentation
explains the costs and benefits of the program.
Pennsylvania
Radon Introductory Letter
This letter is sent to hospitals who want to
be part of the Newborn Radon Program
Pennsylvania
Non-Returned Test Kit Letter
This letter is sent as a followup to kit recipients
who failed to return the kits.
Excerpt
from the 2015 Pennsylvania Newborn Radon Report
84
hospitals are currently in the program.
2015 budget was $15,000 for printing and $5,000 for test kits
The Newborn booklet is 16 cents/piece and the return postage
on the certificate is 45 cents each.
The contract for the test kits is with RTCA and the cost is
$8.80/kit
Of
the 303 test kits returned:
173
kits tested less than 4 pCi/L
50 kits tested between 4.0 to 10 pCi/L
46 kits tested greater than 10 pCi/L
(2 kits tested at 293.9, and 190.0 pCi/L)
34 kits were returned invalid/blank.
That's
96 households or 32% of those that returned the kits, who discovered
that they had high radon in their house. Quite a worthwhile
program in my mind.
An
Attempt to Create a Lake Tahoe Newborn Radon Program
 Fashioned
after the successful Pennsylvania Newborn Radon Program (including
logo and even color!), the Lake Tahoe Newborn Radon Program
could (if supported by the hospital and community) provide free
radon test kit flyers for all parents of newborn babies at Barton
Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe. The green cover, stork
image, graphs and text encourage new parents to provide a clean
and healthy environment for their new child by first testing
their home for radon. Free test kits will be provided through
a health grant (so far undesignated). When operational, It is
hoped that this first (to our knowledge) radon outreach to new
parents in California will be taken over and reproduced by the
California State Radon Program, similar to Pennsylvania's successful
program.
View
our unsuccessful grant request to Soroptimist International
of South Lake Tahoe
View
and print our initial attempt at a Tahoe Newborn Radon Brochure.
Update
1-16-21: After serving on the Barton Hospital Patient and Family
Advisory Council for 2 years, Barton worked with me to develop
a more "market friendly" brochure.
Here
is a copy of the Barton draft Tahoe Newborn Radon Brochure in
PDF format. This is only a DRAFT copy.
Unfortunately
the Barton Tahoe Newborn Radon Program is on "hold"
(or more likely cancelled completely) because the Barton Obstetricians
objected to it based on their fears it would upset some of their
low income patients who had no means to fix the radon problem
if they found it. Read the whole sad story in the Present
tab on this page.
Newborn
Radon Program
Gains More Support In Pennsylvania
Below
is the original text of the news story as reported on the web
site of KRNV Channel 4 News, Reno, NV January 5, 2006
PA Governor Rendell Taking New Steps to Protect Pennsylvania
Families from Radon
HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Governor
Edward G. Rendell said today Pennsylvania is taking steps to
help more families protect themselves and their children from
a leading cause of lung cancer with the expansion of its Newborn
Radon Program.
The
Governor said 19 new hospitals have agreed to join the 50 hospitals
already participating in the program.
"This
program can give new parents peace of mind," Governor Rendell
said. "The Newborn Radon Program not only teaches parents
about radon, it gives them the opportunity to get a free radon
testing kit."
"We
are getting vital information into the hands of parents so they
can take action to protect their families against radon in their
home," Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty
said at a news conference in the maternity center of Harrisburg
Hospital, one of the 19 new participants. "Radon test kits
typically cost about $25, but by giving new parents the opportunity
to get free test kits, more Pennsylvanians will test their homes
and take action to reduce radon levels, if needed, to keep their
families safe."
DEP's Radon Division has been working with hospitals throughout
the state to implement the Newborn Radon Program for the past
12 years. Participating hospitals provide a radon booklet, which
contains a certificate for a free radon test kit, as part of
the information new parents receive before they leave the hospital.
Of those families that have submitted the free test kit certificate,
39 percent have returned the kits to determine radon levels
in their homes.
"PinnacleHealth
is pleased and proud to participate in Pennsylvania's Newborn
Radon Program," said Cheryl Key, vice president of nursing
professional development and practice at PinnacleHealth System,
which owns Harrisburg Hospital. "By providing this important
safety information to new parents, we foster an awareness of
this issue and help educate adults to keep their families healthy
and safe."
DEP
launched an outreach initiative last fall to get more hospitals
involved in the program and enhance the state's national leadership
on radon protection. Alabama, Michigan, New York, North Carolina
and Utah all have asked for information on Pennsylvania's program.
The Utah Radon Program duplicated Pennsylvania's effort last
year and won a statewide public service award for its work.
Radon
is an odorless, colorless gas that occurs naturally from the
breakdown of uranium. High levels of radon have been found in
homes throughout Pennsylvania, and the only way to know the
level in your home is to test. Testing is recommended to be
done during colder months, when homes are closed and radon concentrations
tend to be at their highest.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates approximately
22,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer caused by exposure
to high levels of radon, second only to cigarette smoking-related
lung cancer deaths.
"The
Newborn Radon Program has more people testing their homes for
radon," McGinty said. "That means more people are
taking action to reduce high radon levels, and that saves lives."
Pennsylvania
law requires anyone who tests or performs remediation work on
a home other than the home in which they live must be certified
by DEP.
Residents
who don't qualify for the Newborn Radon Program can buy test
kits in stores.
For more information on radon and a list of certified testers
and remediators, visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us, or call
1-800-23 RADON.
The
Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate
public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens
and continuing economic investment to support our communities
and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives
and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site
at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us.
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Following is a list of the 69 hospitals participating
in the Newborn Radon Program. The asterisk (*) indicates the
19 hospitals that joined the program this year.
Participating hospitals in Pennsylvania
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Allegheny General Hospital
Magee-Women's Hospital
* Ohio Valley General Hospital
West Penn Hospital
* Western Pennsylvania Hospital Forbes Region Campus
ARMSTRONG COUNTY
Armstrong County Memorial Hospital
BEAVER COUNTY
The Medical Center--Heritage Valley Beaver
BEDFORD COUNTY
UPMC Bedford Memorial
BERKS COUNTY
Reading Hospital and Medical Center
St. Joseph Medical Center
BLAIR COUNTY
Altoona Hospital
Bon Secours Holy Family Hospital
Nason Hospital
Tyrone Hospital
BRADFORD COUNTY
Memorial Hospital, Inc., Towanda
Robert Packer Hospital
BUCKS COUNTY
* Doylestown Hospital
* St. Mary Medical Center
BUTLER COUNTY
Butler Memorial Hospital
CARBON COUNTY
Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital
CHESTER COUNTY
* Chester County Hospital
* Jennersville Regional Hospital
CLARION COUNTY
Clarion Hospital
CLEARFIELD COUNTY
Clearfield Hospital
DuBois Regional Medical Center
CLINTON COUNTY
Lock Haven Hospital
COLUMBIA COUNTY
Berwick Hospital
Bloomsburg Hospital
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
* Carlisle Regional Medical Center
* Holy Spirit Hospital
DAUPHIN COUNTY
* Harrisburg Hospital
DELAWARE COUNTY
Riddle Memorial Hospital
FRANKLIN COUNTY
* Chambersburg Hospital
Waynesboro Hospital
HUNTINGDON COUNTY
Blair Memorial Hospital
INDIANA COUNTY
Indiana Regional Medical Center
LACKAWANNA COUNTY
Community Medical Center
Mercy Hospital
LANCASTER COUNTY
* Ephrata Community Hospital
LAWRENCE COUNTY
Jamison Memorial Hospital
LEBANON COUNTY
* Good Samaritan Hospital
LUZERNE COUNTY
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
Hazelton General Hospital
Hazelton-St. Joseph Hospital
Mercy Hospital, Wilkes-Barre
Nesbitt Memorial
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
LYCOMING COUNTY
* Susquehanna Health System - The Birthplace
Williamsport Hospital and Medical Center
MIFFLIN COUNTY
Lewistown Hospital
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
* Montgomery Hospital Medical Center
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
Pottstown Hospital
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
* CHB Easton Hospital
St. Luke's Hospital--Bethlehem
NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY
Sunbury Community Hospital
SOMERSET COUNTY
* Somerset Hospital
SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY
Barnes-Kasson County Hospital
TIOGA COUNTY
* Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital
UNION COUNTY
* Evangelical Community Hospital
VENANGO COUNTY
Northwest Medical Center
WESTMORELAND COUNTY
H.C. Frick Memorial Hospital
Jeannette District Memorial Hospital
Latrobe Area Hospital
* Westmoreland Hospital/Excela Medical
WYOMING COUNTY
Tyler Memorial Hospital
YORK COUNTY
Hanover General Hospital
York Hospital
Memorial Hospital
CONTACT: Kate Philips, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,
+1-717-783-1116, or Ron Ruman (DEP), +1-717-787-1323.
CONTACT: Kate Philips, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,
+1-717-783-1116, or Ron Ruman (DEP), +1-717-787-1323
Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/ http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/
http://www.governor.state.pa.us/
Disclaimer: Information contained on this page is provided by
companies featured through PR Newswire. PR Newswire, WorldNow
and this Station cannot confirm the accuracy of this information
and make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
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