UTICA, N.Y. — The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) recently recognized Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) with the 2022 Community Health Improvement Award for its work with the Lead-Free & Healthy Homes Mohawk Valley Coalition.

MVHS and its partners promote lead hazard-reduction services, educate target neighborhoods on the dangers of lead-based paint and environmental-health hazards, and engage the community in creating, accessing, and maintaining healthier, lead-safe, and energy-efficient housing. The initiative addresses New York’s Prevention Agenda plan to promote health in home and school environments.

The coalition, housed at and supported by the Home Ownership Center, works to reduce lead poisoning and support access to healthy housing. When the coalition began in 2016, Oneida County had the highest rate of children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) in the state with 3.14 percent of children younger than age 6 having levels six times higher than the state’s average of 0.5 percent. The rate in Herkimer County was 1 percent, while some zip codes in Utica had rates as high as 36.65 percent and 28.34 percent.

After that, Oneida County’s EBLL incidence rate dopped from 26.7 per 1,000 children under age 6 tested in 2014-2016 to 18 for 2017-2019.

The Lead-Free & Healthy Homes Mohawk Valley Coalition, launched in 2016 with funding from the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, consists of more than 100 individuals from 40 organizations including representatives from health, government, legal, insurance, education, childcare, housing, construction, and support-services constituencies.

The Community Health Improvement Award, established by HANYS in 1997, recognizes initiatives designed to improve the health and well-being of communities. HANYS presents the award to facilities and programs that target specific community health needs while emphasizing the importance of health equity, leadership, collaboration, and achieving quantifiable results.