Blog posts – The Collected Works of Jim Garrow

Rental Property Lead Certificate Law

Beginning October 1, 2020, landlords will be required to test and certify rental properties as “lead-safe” or “lead-free” in order to A) execute a new or renewed lease or B) receive or renew a rental license. The requirement applies to all residential properties, but it will be phased in by zip code over two years. Below are frequently-asked questions about how the law will be applied. More information will be provided closer to the effective date.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-10-22-rental-property-lead-certification-law/

Heat Vulnerability Index highlights City hot spots

Think your neighborhood is the hottest in Philadelphia? Find out using the Philadelphia Heat Vulnerability Index.

It’s true, some Philadelphia neighborhoods are hotter than others. It’s important for City agencies to know where those neighborhoods are, to help keep people safe during very hot weather. The Philadelphia Heat Vulnerability Index, developed by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Office of Sustainability, shows which areas in the city are hottest and coolest during the summer.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-07-16-heat-vulnerability-index-highlights-city-hot-spots/

Helping Mind and Body in City Health Centers

Life can be stressful for all of us. Life can be far more stressful for someone who has lost a child to gun violence, or lost a job, or been evicted from her home. The mental toll that these experiences take can lead to or worsen physical illness. So it makes sense – even if it’s not common – for medical clinics to care for their patients’ mental health as well as their physical health. Our City health centers now offer the support of Behavioral Health Consultants (BHCs) to help manage the life stress of our patients.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-06-18-helping-mind-and-body-in-city-health-centers/

What happens when the City declares a Heat Health Emergency

During very hot weather, the City will declare a Heat Health Emergency. When we declare a Heat Health Emergency, we activate several City services to ensure our residents stay safe.

During a Heat Health Emergency it’s important to check on loved ones, neighbors, and pets and look out for each other. When daytime temperatures reach the 90s or triple digits and are accompanied by high humidity for two or more days, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke can happen. If you think someone is having a medical emergency, call 911.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-06-11-what-happens-when-the-city-declares-a-heat-health-emergency/

Bus shelters citywide are now smoke- and vape-free

The City announced that bus shelters citywide are now smoke and vape-free. Bus shelters join parks, rec centers, and other public spaces to be covered by smoke-free laws, designed to decrease secondhand smoke in public spaces.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-05-31-bus-shelters-citywide-are-now-smoke-and-vape-free/

5 ways you can help prevent heat-related illness

Very hot weather can make people sick, even healthy adults. Older adults, those who are pregnant, infants and young children, people experiencing homelessness, and people with pre-existing health conditions are at higher risk.

If you see someone on the street who needs help, you can call the Office of Homeless Services outreach hotline at 215-232-1984. If you think someone is having a medical emergency, call 911.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-05-30-5-ways-you-can-help-prevent-heat-related-illness/

It’s hot outside! Here’s how you can #StayCoolPHL

There’s no denying that it gets hot in Philadelphia during the summertime.

Urban areas, like Philadelphia, are hotter in the spring and summer when temperatures rise. This can be attributed to something dubbed the “urban heat island effect”.

https://www.phila.gov/2019-05-29-its-hot-outside-heres-how-you-can-staycoolphl/

Philadelphia’s Public Health Lab

Philadelphia has had a public health lab since 1894, when the City created the Division of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Disinfection, working right in City Hall. In those early days of the new science of bacteriology, the lab focused on two main killers of the day, diphtheria and tuberculosis, and it produced antitoxin for diphtheria. Ever since then, our lab has been providing crucial information to public health staff on what invading species are circulating in the city and how we can keep them at bay.

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-philadelphias-public-health-lab-heroes-protecting-the-publics-health/

Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning is a serious health issue for many young children and their families. Lead has been shown to be particularly harmful to children between the ages of nine months and six years. The only way to know for sure if a child has been poisoned is to get the child tested for lead.

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-landlords-and-tenants-preventing-childhood-lead-poisoning/

Enjoying a Healthy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about family, friends, and food, but for many of us, it can also be a challenge to our attempts to stay healthy. It may seem like it’s impossible to enjoy Thanksgiving without ending up consuming huge amounts of fat, sodium, and sugar, but here are a few tricks to make your holiday a bit healthier without taking away the foods you love:

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-enjoying-a-healthy-thanksgiving/