The National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF) is a medical/environmental 501(c)(3) non-profit entity, principally focusing on the impact of exogenous [related to external factors] chemicals in our environment upon human health, primarily the brain and central nervous system.

Both Humana and their CenterWell Senior Primary Care Clinics have been notified that their Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) policy is a barrier to those who they are marketing their services to.

When your "entire" marketing objective is the senior population, a safe, accessible, knowledgeable facility manager and medical personnel is required. Using the phrase "holistic" or "value-care" has no meaning, when other aspects discredit those claims.

Each CenterWell Clinic contacted responded in the same two ways: "we like the way it smells", or "they are trying to cover up an air quality issue".

When being educated and informed that seniors have a higher percentage of respiratory/pulmonary health issues, using products that are contraindicated for them to be around, is being called into question.

COPD is a well-known senior health malady. "The prevalence of COPD in individuals 65 years of age and older was recently estimated to be 14.2% (11 to 18%) compared with 9.9% (8.2 to 11.8%) in those 40 years or older…. A recent multinational, cross-sectional study found a higher prevalence of COPD than previously reported. Using Global Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification to determine the severity of COPD in the United States, the prevalence of GOLD stage II or higher was 1.9% in individuals 40 to 49 years of age compared with 19.2% in those older than 70 years…. Medicare health care expenditures are 2.5 times higher for elderly patients with COPD compared with age-matched persons without the condition." [1]

 "Cleaning products and paints can irritate COPD, as can perfumes, hair sprays, scented candles and air fresheners. Use non-toxic, natural cleaning products and skip the scented body products if they trigger a reaction."[2]

 "This is a much bigger problem than people realize. About 20 percent of the population and 34 percent of people with asthma report health problems from air fresheners." [3]   

 "Some products release dangerous chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals that vaporize at room temperature. Even natural fragrances such as citrus can react to produce dangerous pollutants indoors." [4]

Seniors have a higher percentage of Long Term Covid, furthermore presenting with COPD, "the smell loss arising due to COVID19 is described in the literature by the term "post viral anosmia" associated with neuroinflammation." [5]

"Humana has Medical Doctors on their Board of Directors and the President of CenterWell is a diagnostic radiologist, and they are still ignoring these medical exacerbations. For months I have warned them about the air freshener used to cover up an odor from a building problem along with their pesticide,"  said Angel DeFazio, BSAT, BCNHP, President of the NTEF. "Perhaps if they see this information more broadly dispersed they might address this issue, so that the "health" of their patients can be achieved."

Its unconscionable that you have "personnel" who have no knowledge of the effects of IAQ upon health, making IAQ decisions, in concert with, lack of knowledge that VOC's in the products they use reside in building materials and furniture.

Even when given the Indoor Environmental Quality Policy of the CDC [6] regarding these issues, they still refuse to acknowledge the barriers they create, even the US Access Board [7] realizes that this is a major health exacerbation and access issue.

Yet, they ad nauseam proclaim that they take a "holistic" and "wellness" approach. They need to go and review what "Primum non nocere" actually means

CenterWellWatchDogs.Com

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[1] https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/730813_2?form=fpfhttps://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/730813_2?form=fpf

[2] https://www.umms.org/bwmc/health-services/pulmonary-disease/copd/symptoms-triggers/common-triggers

[3] https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/departments-and-agencies/dph/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/airfreshenerfspdf.pdf

[4] https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/cleaning-supplies-household-chem

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10945215/

[6] https://www.national-toxic-encephalopathy-foundation.org/cdcff.pdf

[7] https://www.access-board.gov/about/policy/ffe.html