Last week, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) created the Healthy Homes Division, a new team dedicated to addressing environmental health issues by eliminating hazards and promoting healthier living conditions for the 32,000 people living in CHA public housing. From removing environmental hazards such as lead-based paint, mold, and pests to promoting energy-efficiency and indoor air quality, the Healthy Homes Division is focused on ensuring homes are safe, preserved, and sustainable for future generations.

Elizabeth Poole, a nationally recognized expert in children’s environmental health and former coordinator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), leads the Healthy Homes Division. She’s joined by her former Chicago-based EPA colleagues Shannon Wolf and Megan Dwyer Baumann, environmental health and safety managers. 

“We’re excited to welcome an exceptionally qualified, talented, and passionate team with a depth of experience in environmental health,” said Angela Hurlock, CHA interim CEO. “Their ability to go a mile deep into creating healthy home solutions for our residents will ensure we’re not only providing safe homes for our residents now but preserving them well into the future.” 

The division takes a comprehensive approach to addressing lead-based paint hazards identified during inspections and supports families throughout the abatement process, including arranging for temporary relocation or other necessary services.

“This effort is about equipping families with the tools they need to make healthy decisions,” Poole said. “We have an ongoing commitment to provide resources for families to keep their homes safe and their families healthy. I live by this concept that if it’s not good enough for my child, it’s not good enough for any child.” 

The creation of the Healthy Homes division is part of CHA’s “Year of Renewal,” a dedicated effort to rebuild trust, transparency, and accountability in 2025 and beyond and ensure the needs of the 135,000 people it serves across all 77 Chicago community areas are effectively and equitably met.

For more information on the Healthy Homes Division and CHA’s Year of Renewal, click here.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be among the recommended vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) immunization schedule. Kennedy made the announcement in a one-minute video posted on X. 

The officials claimed no evidence exists that healthy children need the vaccine. However, 41% of children ages 6 months to 17 years hospitalized with COVID-19 from October 2022 to April 2024 did not have a known underlying condition, according to (CDC) data.

The decision to exclude healthy people who are pregnant means infants under 6 months no longer would have protection despite having COVID-19 hospitalization rates similar to people ages 65-74 years. It also leaves pregnant people vulnerable, as the CDC considers pregnancy a risk factor for severe disease.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)’s President Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, MD, FACOG, responded to Kennedy’s announcement with this statement: “ACOG is concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement that HHS will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. As ob-gyns who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how dangerous COVID-19 infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection. We also understand that despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the science has not changed. It is very clear that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants after birth.

“In fact, growing evidence shows just how much vaccination during pregnancy protects the infant after birth, with the vast majority of hospitalized infants less than six months of age—those who are not yet eligible for vaccination—born to unvaccinated mothers.

“Following this announcement, we are worried about our patients in the future, who may be less likely to choose vaccination during pregnancy despite the clear and definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit. We are concerned about access implications and what this recommendation will mean for insurance coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who do choose to get vaccinated during pregnancy. And as ob-gyns, we are very concerned about the potential deterioration of vaccine confidence in the future.”

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) leaders said the federal government’s removal of COVID-19 vaccines from the routine immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women ignores independent medical experts and leaves children at risk.

“By removing the recommendation, the decision could strip families of choice,” said Sean T. O’Leary, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. “Those who want to vaccinate may no longer be able to, as the implications for insurance coverage and access remain unclear. … What is clear is that pregnant women, infants and young children are at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID-19, and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine has been widely demonstrated.”

Last week, a CDC expert also said COVID-19 “is a major cause of pediatric hospitalizations, particularly in children under 2 (years), many of whom don’t have any underlying medical conditions.”

An AAP analysis of data collected by HHS found that 11,199 children were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 during the 2024-’25 respiratory virus season, 7,746 of whom were under the age of 5.