![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090514234554im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet
EPA's Targeted Lead Grants
EPA's Targeted Lead Grant Program funds projects in areas with high incidences of children with elevated blood-lead levels in vulnerable populations. In 2007 the Agency awarded more than $5.2 million in grants under this ambitious program. These targeted grants are intended to address immediate needs of the communities in which they are awarded, and will also highlight lead poison prevention strategies that can be used in similar communities across the country.
EPA's lead program is playing a major role in meeting the federal goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a major public health concern by 2010, and the projects supported by these grant funds are an important part of this ongoing effort. According to the Centers for Disease Control in 1978 there were 13.5 million children in the US with elevated blood lead levels. By 2002, that number had dropped to 310,000.
Cannon City, CO - Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governors
EPA has selected the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governors (UAACOG) in Cannon City, Colorado, for a Targeted Lead Grant.
This project will establish a protocol for organizations to identify children at risk of lead poisoning and provide referrals to the proper healthcare professionals.
The project will enable UAACOG to test for lead-based paint in high-risk homes. Under the project, UAACOG will:
- Develop a survey to determine initial risk,
- Survey low-income children,
- Hold a series of three lead risk partnering meetings with Fremont County service organizations providing education to the front-line staff that work with at-risk populations,
- Provide sample referral letters for use by parents of at-risk children, which can be taken to health care providers to ensure proper testing of the child,
- Work with the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) to identify at-risk pregnant women,
- Use EPA-approved lead-based paint (LBP) brochures to assist with education of public and service organizations, and
- Require a UAACOG staff member to become a certified LBP risk assessor.
For more information about EPA's Lead Program, visit www.epa.gov/lead or call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.