Missouri's Success
Providing easy-to-access information during extreme heat events
What is the problem?
Missouri residents experience many days of extreme heat from May to September each year. Some people, especially the elderly, do not have or use air conditioning in their homes. Many counties and cities in the state have cooling centers as part of their “All Hazards” preparedness planning. The public needed easy access to information about these centers.
What did Tracking do?
The Missouri Tracking Program and the Division of Senior and Disability Services joined forces to develop an online map of cooling centers available to all Missourians. Working together, the Tracking Program and its partners identified cooling centers on a searchable map. The map includes a center’s address, phone number, and hours of operation, when such information is provided. It is searchable by address, ZIP code, or county. Information is updated weekly. The interactive map is available on the DHSS Web site from May through September of each year.
Improved public health
This interactive map allows Missouri residents to locate a cooling center close to their homes. They then can spend time in cooling centers during extreme heat events. A center allows people to remain comfortable without endangering their health or increasing their electric bills. The map was promoted by a major utility company, the United Way, the Public Service Commission, the State Emergency Management Agency, and other organizations through Web sites and newsletters.
The effect of building demolitions on blood lead levels in children
What is the problem?
Childhood blood lead testing data for 2003 indicate that 63% of Missouri children with elevated blood lead levels live in the city of St. Louis. However, only 6% of the state’s children live in St. Louis. U.S. Census data show that 94% of the housing stock in St. Louis was built before 1979. As urban renewal has increased, so has the number of demolitions within the city.
What did Tracking do?
The Missouri Tracking Program partnered with the Center for Applied Environmental Public Health at Tulane University to examine the relationship between demolition of housing units constructed before 1979 and blood lead levels in children living near demolition sites. The study compared children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years who were exposed to at least one demolition and a second group that was not exposed to a demolition site.
Improved public health
The Missouri Tracking Program partnered with the Center for Applied Environmental Public Health at Tulane University to examine the relationship between demolition of housing units constructed before 1979 and blood lead levels in children living near demolition sites. The study compared children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years who were exposed to at least one demolition and a second group that was not exposed to a demolition site.
Missouri’s Grantee Profile