Press Release: Getting Local Air Quality Info Is Easier Than Ever

April 15, 2025

Healthy Air Network Launches Redesigned Website to Empower Communities with Air Quality Data; Hosting 4/30 Free Webinar

Western MA – The Healthy Air Network is thrilled to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website, HealthyAirNetwork.org. The enhanced platform offers a more user-friendly, visually engaging, and comprehensive resource for communities across Massachusetts to stay informed about local air quality.


“Our goal is to empower community members with knowledge and tools to make decisions about their health and to advocate for healthier air quality,” said Sarita Hudson, Senior Director of Strategy and Development with the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. “This newly improved website is a significant step forward in making air quality data understandable and actionable for residents, organizations, and decision-makers across Massachusetts.”


The Healthy Air Network is a collaborative effort of organizations and community members dedicated to improving air quality, increasing climate resilience, and advocating for environmental justice in Massachusetts. This network works to provide live air quality data directly to residents, analyze pollution sources, and advocate for changes that address poor air quality and related health inequities.


What’s New on the Healthy Air Network Website:

  • Simplified Navigation: Users can now easily find the information they need with a streamlined and intuitive menu.
  • Organized Content: Details about HAN’s mission, the pollutants measured, partner organizations, and other key information are now more accessible and clearly presented.
  • Enhanced Visuals: The website features more photos showcasing the network’s work and the diverse communities it serves.
  • Data Stories: Engaging narratives and visualizations explain how HAN’s network of air sensors tracks and reveals insights about local air quality.
  • Expanded Resources: The website now includes a wider range of information on air quality issues and the growing threat of extreme heat, providing valuable context and guidance.
  • Improved Sensor Map: Navigating the network of air quality sensors is now easier and more intuitive with an enhanced interactive map.


Air pollution can be a serious risk to your health. The growing network of low-cost air sensors provides real-time data on outdoor concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone, along with historical trends. This data, now more accessible through the improved website, empowers us to make informed decisions to protect our health. Additionally, observing patterns over time helps us identify sources of air pollution and take action to prevent it.


“Our network of low-cost air sensors puts data in the hands of community members, and the new website makes it so much easier for people to understand what it means, how they can protect their health, and what they can do to improve air quality,” said the Hitchcock Center for the Environment’s executive director, William Spitzer, PhD. “We use this data every day as we make decisions about what outdoor activities are safe for kids in our programs.”


The Healthy Air Network is led by the Public Health Institute of Western MA, with technical leadership from the Yale School of Public Health. Our partners in Western Massachusetts include Hitchcock Center for the Environment, City of Springfield, the City of Holyoke, Live Well Springfield, PV Asthma Coalition, and ReGreen Springfield. The Hitchcock Center for the Environment joined in 2022, expanding efforts into Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region.


In 2023, the Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership, convened by Health Resources in Action, joined to facilitate statewide expansion into New England. Groundwork Trusts in New Bedford, Lawrence, and Somerville have also recently become part of the network.


“We’re excited to work with Groundwork Trusts and other local partners to expand air quality monitoring efforts in Massachusetts communities that are disproportionately impacted by asthma,” said Geri Medina, who leads MAAP. “This work aligns with MAAP’s focus on addressing the root causes of asthma—like poor air quality, housing conditions, and school environments—by making data more accessible and actionable for the communities most affected.”


Is today a healthy air day? The Healthy Air Network invites the public to explore the newly improved website at HealthyAirNetwork.org and attend the 4/30/25 webinar, Know Your Air: Updates From Healthy Air Network, to learn more. Register here: https://bit.ly/42gfLYU


ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts supports communities in their efforts to become measurably healthier and more equitable through community engagement, convening collaborative partnerships, communications, data analysis, research and evaluation, and policy advocacy. We are committed to continuous learning, fostering collaboration, and amplifying the voices of those we serve. For more information, visit PublicHealthWM.org


###



Download a PDF of the press release

share this

Related Articles

You're Invited: June 28 Housing Resource Fair

May 30, 2025
Live Well Springfield Transforming Communities Initiative invites you to attend their Housing Resource Fair

PHIWM Joins CLF to urge MA to end public subsidies for biomass

May 28, 2025
The Springfield City Council and Springfield Zoning Board of Approvals, represented by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), asked the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to review a decision that revived building permits for the controversial Palmer Renewable Energy biomass facility in Springfield. Read CLF's press release for more information. Community groups and health advocates have been fighting against this proposed plant for more than a decade. Burning biomass, like wood, pollutes our air with particulate matter, contributing to asthma and other serious health issues. The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts recently joined CLF and more than 86 other organizations urging MA lawmakers to end public subsidies for biomass energy. Act Now!  Tell the Massachusetts Legislature to take dirty biomass out of our clean energy programs!

Showing Up When It’s Hard

May 14, 2025
Beyonca Twiggs is a Project Coordinator at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. Read her reflection below about engaging in equity work and showing up even when it is hard. Showing Up When It's Hard There are days when the work feels heavy. Not just the tasks or the meetings, but the weight of what we’re trying to change. Systems that were never built for everyone. Patterns that repeat across generations. Stories that aren’t told, because they’ve been ignored for so long. On those days, I remind myself why I’m here. I didn’t get into this work because I had all the answers. I got into it because I kept seeing the same harm, the same gaps, the same silence, especially around race and health. And I wanted to be part of interrupting that silence. I’ve learned that equity work isn’t about checking boxes or writing the right statement. It’s about being willing to stay in the room when things are uncomfortable. It’s about asking, “Who’s not here?” and meaning it. It’s about choosing to be accountable, not just when someone is watching, but especially when no one is. It means listening even when the truth stings. It means making space for stories that challenge how we see the world and how we see ourselves. Sometimes, it’s slow. Sometimes, it’s painful. But every time we choose to show up differently— more aware, more honest, more intentional—something shifts. And over time, those shifts start to matter. I’ve also learned that change doesn’t always look like a policy passed or a report released. Sometimes, it looks like someone feeling seen for the first time. Sometimes, it’s a door that wasn’t open before. Sometimes, it’s just staying committed when it would be easier to walk away. I am doing this work because I believe in the possibility of something better, and not just in theory, but in practice. In neighborhoods. In classrooms. In clinics. In the everyday places where people deserve to be safe, to be well, and to be valued. This isn’t just professional for me. It’s personal. Because the stakes are real. Because our communities deserve more than survival. They deserve care. They deserve joy. They deserve justice. So no, I don’t have all the answers. But I’m here. I’m learning. I’m listening. And I’m staying. Because the work is worth it. And so are the people we do it for. If you’re looking for ways to deepen your understanding, continue learning, or spend more time with the stories and voices that shape this work, I encourage you to explore the Race and Health Equity Resource Guide . It offers tools, reflections, and local resources to support ongoing growth.