| Name | Steffanie |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Altman |
| Home Address | 1101 Carter St Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 United States |
| Organization Name | Siskin Children's Institute |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Director of Development |
| Organization Address | 1101 Carter St Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 |
| Website | https://www.siskin.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4233045042 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 267-934-1430 |
| Email Address | steffanie.altman@siskin.org |
| Alternate Email Address | steffaltman@gmail.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Siskin Children’s Institute would like to upgrade our air quality with new HVAC systems and air filtration systems that meet the CDC recommended standards. These upgrades are key to preventing the further spread of COVID in our facilities. This investment will ensure Siskin Children’s Institute offers a safe atmosphere for kids and their parents, while also providing protection to keep our classrooms and clinic facilities open with a decreased number of COVID cases. Johns Hopkins school of Public Health put out a 46 page report regarding the ways school ventilation is a tool mitigating the spread of COVID and other illnesses. First, we will hire an HVAC specialist to come to both the Siskin Children’s Institute locations and give us their professional advice on best practices for our layouts. In our downtown location we have 40 rooms in Chattanooga Pediatric Centers, 14 classrooms in the early learning center, 3 lobby areas, 2 conference rooms, and a large therapy play room. In our riverfront location we have 11 classrooms and a lobby. The EPA recommends using a combination of HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters and an upper room UVGI (Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation) system. Omni CleanAir sells a combination UVGI-HEPA portable unit for $3,084.11 which cleans the air for 750 sq ft. For this reason we’re be looking to purchase 144 filtration units totaling $444,111. This does not include the delivery charges which we were unable to get at this time and for which reason we have rounded the request to $445,000. The filtration system will begin immediately providing a better environment for our kids to learn and play in and our staff to work in. These filters do not have an installation delay and therefore allow us to act quickly to provide cleaner air. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | This proposal meets the requirement of the American Rescue Plan for its funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts. This will have a positive ripple effect on the economy as well, as kids will be taken care of so their parent(s) can work and our teachers and medical providers will have a decreased likelihood of catching COVID and needing to call out of work. |
| Where would your project take place? | In the original Siskin Children's Institute location at 1101 Carter street at well as Siskin Children's Institute at Little Miss Mag at 225 Lookout Street |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 445000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | April 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 1-6 months depending on the availability of specialists and products |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | The installation of the ventilation and upgrade of the HVAC systems will be the success of this project. We will be able to compare pre-ventilation closures and cancelations to the numbers of closures and cancelations after we’ve updated our facilities. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | We will publish an annual report, detailing the amount awarded from the American Rescue Plan, how expenditures were utilized, and what impact the funding had on COVID prevention in our facilities. The award will also be included as part of our annual financial audit, and be included available via our publicly filed annual 990 reports. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | With new ventilation and filtration systems in every room, Siskin Children’s Institute will not have to close as often for illness. At this point in time, to mitigate the spread of COVID, if we have a teacher who has been exposed or is sick we need to shut down her/his classroom. This not only results in lost socialization and education for the child, but puts that child’s guardian(s) in a tight place regarding their own employment. We also know classes without continued disruption have a better learning environment and produce stronger relationships between the kids and their educators. Similarly, when a doctor or therapist is sick, we have to cancel her/his patients until s/he has recovered and is no longer contagious. This disruption in therapy and treatment results in a prolonged need for services. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | Our families and staff are already bought in for this project. They are eager for the opportunity to decrease the spread of COVID and decrease the number of classroom closures. |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | If interested, you can read the Johns Hopkins report here: https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2021/20210526-school-ventilation.pdf |