As program's first corporate donor, Spire helps expand home
health assessments and repairs to improve region's health
KANSAS
CITY, Mo. , May 4, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- A new grant from Spire will allow Children's
Mercy Kansas City to expand their "Healthy Homes Program" to
improve the health and safety of families through mitigation
measures, while also improving home energy efficiency.
According to the American Housing Survey, tens of thousands of
households in the Kansas City
region live with moderate or severe physical housing problems. As
part of the "Healthy Homes" program, Children's Mercy environmental
health specialists perform a home assessment to identify issues
such as excess moisture, poor indoor air quality and high levels of
contaminated dust, which can be root causes for chronic health
issues such as asthma and allergies.
Spire's $100,000 commitment to the
program– the first by a corporate donor – will allow Children's
Mercy environmental health specialists to expand the program to
impact even more families of children with chronic health
problems.
"We already know that an energy-efficient home saves customers
money, but a comprehensive approach to weatherization can also
improve the health and economic burden of housing-related health
hazards for families across our region," says Steve Mills, Spire vice president and general
manager for western Missouri.
"Spire has funded almost $10 million
since 2005 to weatherize more than 3,000 homes across Kansas City and this donation helps keep that
momentum on making homes healthier moving forward."
In addition to expanding the program's reach, Spire's donation
served as an important funding match that helped Children's Mercy's
application for an additional $1
million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control
and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH). Children's Mercy estimates that the
combination of funding from Spire and HUD will provide home
environmental assessments and interventions for approximately 90
homes, support 21 Healthy Homes consumer workshops and 21 Healthy
Homes contractor training workshops across the KC Metro over the
next three years.
Ryan Allenbrand, Healthy Home
Program Manager for the environmental health program at Children's
Mercy, says adding home repairs will be a difference maker in
benefiting families' indoor environments.
"A drafty home with poorly operating heating and air
conditioning systems, pipes that continually freeze and inadequate
air sealing and insulation, not only increases a family's electric
and gas bills, but also increases environmental health hazards,
especially for children," Allenbrand said. "Thanks to Spire, which
we think directly influenced our ability to obtain the grant from
HUD, we can continue to address the root causes of chronic
health issues we find every week in many Kansas City homes, ensuring as many children
as possible are living in safe, healthy environments."
To become eligible for the program, families must meet federal
income level criteria and be referred by a physician due to a
diagnosed health issue that is aggravated by poor indoor
environmental quality. For more information, visit
childrensmercy.org or call the Children's Mercy Healthy Homes
Program at 816-302-8565.
About Spire
At Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), we believe energy exists to help make
people's lives better. It's a simple idea, but one that's at the
heart of our company. Every day we serve 1.7 million homes and
businesses making us the fifth largest publicly traded natural gas
company in the country. We help families and business owners fuel
their daily lives through our gas utilities serving Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Our natural gas-related businesses
include Spire Marketing, Spire STL Pipeline and Spire Storage. We
are committed to transforming our business through growing
organically, investing in infrastructure, and advancing through
innovation. Learn more at SpireEnergy.com.
About Children's Mercy Kansas
City
Founded in 1897, Children's Mercy Kansas City is a leading
independent children's health organization dedicated to holistic
care, translational research, educating caregivers and breakthrough
innovation to create a world of well-being for all children. With
not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both
states, Children's Mercy provides the highest level of care for
children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World
Report has repeatedly ranked Children's Mercy as one of "America's
Best Children's Hospitals." For the fifth consecutive time in a
row, Children's Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation,
awarded to only about 8% of all hospitals nationally, for
excellence in quality care. More than 850 pediatric subspecialists,
researchers and faculty across more than 40 subspecialties are
actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and
education of the next generation of pediatric subspecialists.
Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children's
Mercy provides hope, comfort and the prospect of brighter tomorrows
to every child who passes through its doors. Learn more at
Childrensmercy.org.
Media Contact:
Jason Merrill
314-365-7125
jason.merrill@SpireEnergy.com
Media Contact:
Mary Heinrich
913-481-4543
mcheinrich@cmh.edu
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spires-100-000-gift-helps-expand-childrens-mercy-healthy-homes-program-in-kansas-city-area-301539819.html
SOURCE Spire Inc.