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NYC-BASED INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL
SOLUTIONS INC. PARTNERS
WITH HARLEM HOSPITAL CENTER TO
ASSIST CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA
Family business donates air purifiers;
hospital selects recipients
NEW YORK (May 4, 2004) — When
the Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative reported that
one in four children in central Harlem suffer from asthma,
it struck home for Maria Vizzi, president of Indoor Environmental
Solutions Inc.
(IES). Vizzi's nephew, Philip, 11,
who lives in New Jersey, also has asthma. Coincidentally,
Vizzi's company helps business and residential property
owners improve indoor air quality. IES operates a network
of professionals who inspect, clean and sanitize air ventilation
ducts and exhaust systems.
"I gave my sister one of our air purifiers
to put in my nephew's room and it helped him breathe much
better," said Vizzi. "So why not get these purifiers out
where more kids will benefit from them?" she added.
Encouraged by her nephew's experience,
Vizzi contacted the HCZAI after reading about the Initiative
throughout the media. Upon meeting with Kellye Jackson-Roney,
Harlem Hospital Center's director of development, IES agreed
to donate one mobile air purifier per month to the hospital.
Harlem Hospital selects the recipient child. With each new
IES corporate customer, the company will increase its support
by donating a corresponding number of air purifiers to the
hospital in that customer's name. Created as a matching
program, the hospital provides the participating corporate
customer with the first name and age of the child they sponsor
and information on how the equipment helps the child.
IES said its April donation to the
hospital was made possible by the Astor Terrace Condominium
Association (93rd St. and Second Ave.).
"The asthma rate in Harlem is approximately
28%, which is significantly higher than the National estimates
that range from 5 – 10%" said Kellye Jackson-Roney. "This
Harlem statistic is probably similar to those of other inner
city neighborhoods. For a small business to step up like
this is phenomenal. It just shows that you don't have to
be a Fortune 500 company to make a difference."
Children with asthma are acutely sensitive
to weather changes, and particles or contaminants in the
environment, including the air we breathe, which restrict
their lungs from functioning properly.
More
information on asthma may be found at http://www.epa.gov/asthma.
The federal government’s website also contains a checklist
of things that can trigger asthma attacks in the home environment.
For residential high-rise apartment
buildings, cleaning the kitchen, bathroom and buildings
hallway air ducts are the first step to improving the indoor
air quality. In
addition to residential air purifiers, commercial and industrial
strength purifiers for hospitals and assisted living facilities
are also available from IES. Businesses or individuals interested
in IES services and/or donating an air purifier may contact
IES toll-free at 1-866-56-CLEAN.
About IES
Maria Vizzi and her husband, Giuseppe,
who have extensive experience in air ventilation cleaning,
launched IES in 2000. The family-owned business services
residential and commercial properties throughout the New
York metro and tri-state area. IES works with property owners
and property/facilities managers to address tenant concerns
about indoor air quality and building hygiene.
HCZAI
To address the asthma crisis in the
Harlem Children's Zone Project (a 24 block community building
initiative of the Harlem Children's Zone), HCZ and the Department
of Pediatrics at Harlem Hospital Center (HHC) launched the
HCZ Asthma Initiative (HCZAI) in partnership with the Harlem
Health Promotion Center at Columbia University. HCZAI's
primary goal is to reduce asthma morbidity through improved
health care utilization for children with asthma aged 0-12
living in the HCZ Project.
Media Contact:
Indoor Environmental Solutions
Inc.
Maria Vizzi, President
3276 Spencer Drive
Bronx, NY 10465
Tel: 718-824-6591 or or 1-866-56-CLEAN
Fax: 718-792-1530
Mobile: 646-773-3760
http://www.iesnyc.com
Harlem Hospital
Medical Center / Dept. of Pediatrics
Kellye Jackson-Roney,
Director of Development
506 Lenox Ave.
Room 17107B
New York,
NY
Phone: 212-939-4025
Harlem Children's Zone
Asthma Initiative (HCZAI) CU/HHC Pediatrics
506 Lenox Avenue, MLK-17-102
New York, NY 10037-1802
Tel: (212) 939-4005
Fax: (212) 939-4006
Harlem Children's Zone
Marty Lipp, Director of Communications
1916 Park Avenue, Suite 212
New York, NY 10037
Tel: (212) 234-6200
Fax: (212) 234-2340
http://
www.hcz.org
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