§ , w t j & proIV"'^ EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet Preventing Lead Poisoning in Refugees & Immigrant Communities Albany, New York EPA has selected the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in Albany for a Targeted Lead Grant. The Office of Refugee and Immigrant Services (ORIS) plans to use immigrant community liaisons currently on staff to conduct strategic outreach to specific ethnic communities in targeted areas of New York with significant immigrant populations. Professional translation of lead poisoning prevention outreach materials which are culturally appropriate will be developed and outreach will be conducted through local refugee and immigrant service centers, Refugee School Impact Program sites, local social service districts and refugee health sc 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. 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. facilities. The goals of this project are to: • Raise community and family awareness about lead poisoning, how it can be prevented and what to do when a child has an elevated blood lead level. • Select the languages of the top five immigrant communities, develop translated materials and train outreach staff in culturally appropriate service delivery for those communities. 2007 Targeted Lead Grant Program Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics www.epa.gov/lead ------- |