? w % iSSZZ J PROl#^ EPA Lead Program Grant Fact Sheet Targeted Grants to Reduce Childhood Lead Poisoning Migrant Health Promotion Inc. EPA has selected the Migrant Health Promotion, Inc. in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, Texas for a Targeted Lead Grant. This $99,157 grant project will use the Promotor(a) model, a culturally competent and proven outreach and health education tool, to promote prevention of blood-lead poisoning in the colonia residences along the U.S.-Mexico border. These rural and isolated areas are at higher risk of elevated blood lead levels, but are not currently documented. The grant program will: • Conduct outreach to nearly 3,000 individuals living in the colonias, • Educate these individuals about lead poisoning sources and methods of prevention, and • Empower the community to continue lead-poisoning prevention efforts and reduce barriers to health education and health care services. 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 ------- |