Health, Housing and Policy Initiatives in New York City

Posted by on October 5, 2009

Our sixth annual PSCIP (Philadelphia School & Community IPM Partnership) meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2009.

What:  Sixth Annual PSCIP Meeting
When:  Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 11:00AM-2:00PM
Guest Speaker:  Sharon Heath “Promoting IPM through Health, Housing and Policy Initiatives in New York City”
Additional Education Session:  2:00-3:00PM – Dr. Changlu Wang “How to Monitor and Control Bed Bugs”
Where: School District of Philadelphia, 440 N. Broad Street, Educational Center, Room 1075

It takes a community effort to effectively and safely control pests in an urban setting. Concerned citizens as well as city and federal agencies will meet to discuss urban pest problems and solutions when the Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership holds its sixth annual meeting on Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the School District of Philadelphia at 440 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia.

Following the meeting will be an educational session on bed bugs from 2 – 3 p.m. with Changlu Wang, urban entomologist, from Rutgers University. The meeting will update partners on the progress of various community projects, discuss pest control and pesticide issues, and brainstorm new strategies, needed activities and funding sources. This year’s guest speaker will be Sharon Heath, Director of Pesticide Programs at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Sharon wears many hats at the department, including that of Coordinator of the city’s inter-agency Pest Management Committee and playing an active role in the new NYC Bed Bug Task Force. Sharon will discuss her experiences in promoting IPM through health, housing and policy initiatives in the city. She will also describe their city-wide efforts at rat control, implementation of IPM in public housing and increasing public awareness about safer pest control and its health benefits. We are truly lucky to have Sharon with us this year.

Immediately following the general meeting, Dr. Changlu Wang will discuss his research on bed bugs including their patterns of dispersal, the effectiveness of various monitoring methods and a step-by-step approach to conducting a successful bed bug IPM program.

Changlu has also surveyed residents of multi-family housing to understand human perceptions and behaviors associated with bed bug infestations. This is a great opportunity to learn about this difficult pest from the expert. Pesticide application credits have been applied for the bed bug section.

To RSVP to the general meeting, bed bug education session, or both, contact Michelle Niedermeier, PSCIP coordinator, at the Philadelphia IPM office, (215) 471-2200, ext. 109, or e-mail pscip@psu.edu. For more information on PSCIP, visit Web site http://www.pscip.org.