? W - 5 iSEZ j EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet Education and Outreach in Cerro Gordo Neighborhoods Mason City, Iowa EPA has selected the Cerro Gordo Department of Public Health in Mason City, Iowa for a Targeted Lead Grant. The $66,978 grant project will support efforts by Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health to identify and reduce lead poisoning in areas with a high potential for undocumented elevated blood lead levels. Their goal is the elimination of lead-based paint hazards and childhood lead poisoning. Project objectives are to: • Identify specific neighborhoods for lead poisoning prevention, • Provide lead poisoning prevention education and outreach, and • Increase the number of blood tests on children under six years old. The project will identify target areas for lead poisoning prevention education in under-tested areas of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, and will develop multi-layered Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps based on lead poisoning risk data. Free blood tests for children under 6 years old will be offered and a lead education program will be made available through the installation of user friendly interactive kiosks placed in a medical center, public library and local businesses. Follow up case management for children identified as lead poisoned will also be provided. 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. 2007 Targeted Lead Grant Program Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics www.epa.gov/lead ------- |