A pilot program to help children with asthma live in smoke-free homes got a shot in the arm from the Allegheny County Board of Health.

The board Sept. 5 approved spending $40,570 from its environmental health fund to pay for a one-year project focused on persuading and helping the children's caregivers and family members who smoke to quit.

Joan Procopio, manager of the department's chronic disease program, said the plan is to work with doctors in federally qualified health centers operated by Primary Care Health Services Inc. to reach the adults who smoke.

Work will start in the Rankin health center, using a nurse to review patients' charts and following up with families and their efforts to meet no-smoking goals. The money also will pay for a carbon monoxide monitor to detect if a person has smoked recently.

"We have a goal of 105 families that we will intersect with," Ms. Procopio said. The program will identify which children have asthma, who smokes in their home and how to reach all the adults who come in contact with the children.

"I wanted to get some kind of pilot program, to see if we can actually do this," Ms. Procopio said. "Ideally, we'd be looking at children under 18 years old; we'll probably concentrate on under 10."

Board member Ann Francis also reported on a review of the condition of Health Department facilities, saying that all but one or two have some kind of electrical or roof problem.

"It's about time to put some money into these buildings … sometimes the environment is depressing, with peeling paint," she said, adding that she feels something must be done "to improve the work conditions of Allegheny County employees."

Health Director Dr. Bruce Dixon agreed.

"There is interest. The question is how do we get the money, how much and how soon," he said.

The Oakland clinic, he said, "is not well designed for seeing patients. The waiting room is in a hall. … One of our first priorities is the clinic space where we serve the public."

Board vice chairman Dr. Lee Harrison said he was concerned about safety in some buildings, citing elderly clients using unsafe stairwells.

County Manager Jim Flynn said he estimates improvements will cost $4 million to $7 million. "It's a budget issue," he said. "We're trying to do the best we can with what we have."

The county's new lab facility -- expected to be completed within a few months -- was cited as an example of the added cost of delayed action. The county was not able to use available state funds for the construction because of delays.

Jill Daly can be reached at jdaly@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1596.