The Allegheny County Health Department Thursday announced it has recently awarded 10 mini-grants totaling $38,900 to community organizations to educate residents on the sources and consequences of lead exposure, as well as the importance of prevention and universal blood lead level testing.

The 10 organizations receiving a mini-grant are: Circles of Greater Pittsburgh – Mon Valley ($6,000), Clairton Cares, Inc. ($4,000), Consumer Health Coalition ($3,000), Environmental Occupational & Public Health Consultants Inc. – EOPHC ($4,500), Homewood Children’s Village ($3,000), Perry Hilltop Citizens Council ($5,000), Pittsburgh Learning Commons ($5,000), United Somali Bantu Community of Greater Pittsburgh ($2,000), Women for a Healthy Environment ($4,400) and Youth Enrichment Services ($7,000).

“We are excited to partner with these organizations to boost education about lead safety in our community, and to better ensure that information get into the hands of those who need it most.” said Dr. Karen Hacker, ACHD Director. “Harmful lead exposure from multiple sources is a reality in our county, and educating the public about the risks is a priority. We expect that this funding of investment will result in even larger returns.”

Proposals were evaluated based on innovation and creativity, their emphasis on priority areas identified by ACHD, knowledge of the target population, demonstrated ability to meaningfully involve a large number of residents, inclusion of minority groups and low-income residents, and cost-effectiveness of the proposed budget.

The selected organizations will conduct workshops, organize community meetings and carry out door-to-door outreach to educate residents on how to prevent and mitigate lead exposure.

Proposed activities include, developing educational videos, creating interactive exhibits, and planning gatherings at residents’ homes to share information on lead exposure and prevention. Organizations will also share information about available programs and resources with families in these areas.

Activities will take place over the course of six months in 2018, from February through July, and focus on those neighborhoods where populations are more likely to be at risk of lead exposure.

These priority areas include many Mon Valley municipalities, McKees Rocks, and portions of the East End, Northside, and South Hills areas within and around the City of Pittsburgh.

The Health Department identified the priority areas based on proportion of individuals under five years of age, aggregated (2012-2016) proportion of individuals tested for lead with a confirmed elevated blood lead level ≥5 ug/dL, proportion of houses built prior to 1950, high school education rate and percent poverty rate.

This mini-grant program is part of a communications strategy that was developed by the Health Department thanks in large part to a $300,000 grant that it received from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation in May of 2017.

This comprehensive communications plan was put in place to prepare families, physicians, school nurses, and other community stakeholders, to comply with Allegheny County’s universal blood lead level testing regulation that went into effect on January 1, 2018.

For more information on the universal blood lead level testing regulation, visit the Allegheny County Health Department’s Lead Information for Doctors and Lead Exposure webpages.

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[Posted: Jan. 5, 2018]

1/8/2018