EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet Berrien County Department EPA has selected Berrien County Health Department for a National Community- Based Lead Outreach and Training Grant. Berrien County will collaborate with Muskegon and Kent Counties to build local infrastructure to protect low-income residents from the dangers of childhood lead poisoning in Benton Harbor, Grand Rapids, and Muskegon communities. The project will: • Provide lead outreach materials to educate rental property owners, public health and code officials, realtors, landlords, and others in the community on lead poisoning prevention • Train rental property owners, public health and code officials, realtors, and landlords on lead-safe work practices • Produce an extensive curriculum for best practices lead training as well as a model guidebook for local housing lead poisoning prevention ordinances. EPA's National Community- Based Lead Grant Program EPA grants are helping communities with older housing reduce childhood lead poisoning. The funds enable communities to educate those at risk, provide lead-awareness training and develop local ordinances aimed at lead abatement. The National Community-Based Lead Outreach and Training Grants are aimed at promoting efforts to prevent or reduce childhood lead poisoning. In 2007 The Agency awarded more than $3.1 million in grant dollars to fund this ambitious program. Grant recipients range from city health departments to universities and colleges, community organizations, religious groups, and other non-profit organizations. 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. Projects supported by these grant funds are an important part of this ongoing effort - and we are seeing their effects. By 2002, the number of U.S. children with elevated blood-lead levels dropped to 310,000 from 13.5 million in 1978, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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. 2007 National Community-Based Lead Grant Program Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics www.epa.gov/lead ------- |