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Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ECDOH funds air filtration equipment for K-12 schools in Erie County Submitted Wed, Jun 1st 2022 12:15 pm Locally produced units from Austin Air Systems will improve air quality, reduce disease transmission risk for students & school staff Submitted by the Erie County Department of Health The Erie County Department of Health has announced that about 10,600 air filtration units have been ordered for every K-12 public and charter classroom in Erie County. Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein joined Buffalo City School District General Counsel Nathaniel J. Kuzma and Austin Air Systems President Lauren McMillan as Buffalo Public Schools received its shipment of air filter units on Wednesday. The Office of the County Executive and ECDOH worked closely with school leaders in public and non-public schools throughout Erie County to plan and implement this project. With assistance from the Erie County Department of Public Works, ECDOH collaborated with Austin Air Systems of Buffalo to coordinate the production and delivery of air filtration units for every K-12 classroom in Erie County. “The COVID-19 pandemic burdened schools and families with incredible challenges and concerns over health and safety,” Poloncarz said. “The path of this pandemic and our response to it have shifted. Equipping our schools with Austin Air Healthmate Air Purifiers will help create a healthier school environment for K-12 students. This investment is a critical component of my back-on-track agenda to help our children recover from the damage caused by the pandemic.” Burstein added, “Maintaining improved ventilation in public indoor spaces is a core recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no matter what level of COVID-19 transmission a community is experiencing. Staying home when ill, seeking testing as appropriate, wearing a mask as recommended, and getting vaccinated and boosted are other key parts of a comprehensive strategy to keep children and school staff healthy, and learning at school. This initiative will help keep the approximate 130,000 K-12 students and school staff in Erie County healthy by reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne contagions.” Buffalo City School District Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams said, “The Buffalo Public Schools are elated to be included in Erie County Executive Poloncarz’s initiative to place an air purifier machine in every classroom within Erie County. Air purifier machines increase ventilation and add better filtration. These particular air purifiers are high quality and have a charcoal filter that will remove toxic gases like a car exhaust or bus fumes that may enter a building during arrival and dismissal.” She continued, “The second stage of the filter unit contains a HEPA filter, which removes up to 99% of all pollen, bacteria and viruses in the air. Ultimately, these air purifier machines will have a positive effect in ensuring proper air treatment of all occupied classrooms, and will help our children breath in clean air. The safety of our entire school community is our top priority!”  To date, Erie County has invested just under $5.3 million in federal funding for this project, from a grant directed toward COVID-19 mitigation measures within K-12 schools. Each unit cost $500. In addition to BPS, all other school districts and charter schools received their units in May. ECDOH expects air filtration systems to be delivered to private schools during the summer.   School District   Units Distributed   Akron CSD   112   Alden CSD   132   Amherst CSD   244   Buffalo City Schools   2,557   Cheektowaga CSD   179   Cheektowaga-Maryvale UFSD   265   Cheektowaga-Sloan UFSD   152   Clarence CSD   353   Cleveland Hill UFSD   118   Depew UFSD   149   East Aurora UFSD   147   Eden CSD   134   Evans-Brant CSD   220   Frontier CSD   385   Grand Island CSD   260   Hamburg CSD   277   Holland CSD   86   Iroquois CSD   202   Kenmore-Tonawanda UFSD   600   Lackawanna City Schools   162   Lancaster CSD   510   North Collins CSD   56   Orchard Park CSD   488   Springville-Griffith Inst CSD   138   Sweet Home CSD   272   Tonawanda City School District   145   West Seneca CSD   540   Williamsville CSD   827       Charter School   Units Distributed   Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School   94   Buffalo Collegiate Charter School   25   Buffalo United Charter School   50   Charter School of Inquiry   27   Charter School - Applied Technologies   197   Elmwood Village Charter School Days Park   38   Elmwood Village Charter School Hertel   21   Enterprise Charter School   10   Global Concepts Charter School   80   Health Sciences Charter School   15   Persistence Prep   15   South Buffalo Charter School   52   Tapestry Charter School   102   West Buffalo Charter School   43   Western NY Maritime Charter School   48   Westminster Community Charter School   46    For more: √ Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH): www.erie.gov/health √ Austin Air Systems: https://austinair.com Categories Dispatch School

Locally produced units from Austin Air Systems will improve air quality, reduce disease transmission risk for students & school staff

Submitted by the Erie County Department of Health

The Erie County Department of Health has announced that about 10,600 air filtration units have been ordered for every K-12 public and charter classroom in Erie County.

Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein joined Buffalo City School District General Counsel Nathaniel J. Kuzma and Austin Air Systems President Lauren McMillan as Buffalo Public Schools received its shipment of air filter units on Wednesday.

The Office of the County Executive and ECDOH worked closely with school leaders in public and non-public schools throughout Erie County to plan and implement this project. With assistance from the Erie County Department of Public Works, ECDOH collaborated with Austin Air Systems of Buffalo to coordinate the production and delivery of air filtration units for every K-12 classroom in Erie County.

“The COVID-19 pandemic burdened schools and families with incredible challenges and concerns over health and safety,” Poloncarz said. “The path of this pandemic and our response to it have shifted. Equipping our schools with Austin Air Healthmate Air Purifiers will help create a healthier school environment for K-12 students. This investment is a critical component of my back-on-track agenda to help our children recover from the damage caused by the pandemic.”

Burstein added, “Maintaining improved ventilation in public indoor spaces is a core recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no matter what level of COVID-19 transmission a community is experiencing. Staying home when ill, seeking testing as appropriate, wearing a mask as recommended, and getting vaccinated and boosted are other key parts of a comprehensive strategy to keep children and school staff healthy, and learning at school. This initiative will help keep the approximate 130,000 K-12 students and school staff in Erie County healthy by reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne contagions.”

Buffalo City School District Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams said, “The Buffalo Public Schools are elated to be included in Erie County Executive Poloncarz’s initiative to place an air purifier machine in every classroom within Erie County. Air purifier machines increase ventilation and add better filtration. These particular air purifiers are high quality and have a charcoal filter that will remove toxic gases like a car exhaust or bus fumes that may enter a building during arrival and dismissal.”

She continued, “The second stage of the filter unit contains a HEPA filter, which removes up to 99% of all pollen, bacteria and viruses in the air. Ultimately, these air purifier machines will have a positive effect in ensuring proper air treatment of all occupied classrooms, and will help our children breath in clean air. The safety of our entire school community is our top priority!” 

To date, Erie County has invested just under $5.3 million in federal funding for this project, from a grant directed toward COVID-19 mitigation measures within K-12 schools. Each unit cost $500. In addition to BPS, all other school districts and charter schools received their units in May. ECDOH expects air filtration systems to be delivered to private schools during the summer.

Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School

Charter School - Applied Technologies

Elmwood Village Charter School Days Park

Elmwood Village Charter School Hertel

Western NY Maritime Charter School

√ Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH): www.erie.gov/health

√ Austin Air Systems: https://austinair.com

1859 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY 14072 Phone: 716-773-7676 Fax: 716-773-7190

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