Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Press Release

Childhood Lead Poison Prevention Program grant award

05/08/2008

The GLCAC, Inc. has received a $49,250 grant award from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General for a Childhood Lead Poison Prevention Program. 

The major objectives of the program are: 

1.      Educate 400 individuals about lead paint hazards and ways to prevent exposures to lead by conducting 20 seminars and providing educational materials about lead poisoning prevention with a special focus on immigrant populations from Southeast Asia and Central America. 

2.      Educate 150 people by promoting the use of lead-safe work practices during lead hazard repair and other renovation work by conducting 6 workshops for home owners, contractors, staff of hardware stores, etc. to publicize the training and safety requirements of the MA Lead Law. 

These activities would be in addition to those currently conducted by the Merrimack Valley Lead Poison Prevention Program.  Current activities include lead screening for children under the age of six, comprehensive case management services to families of children affects by lead poisoning. Referrals to other health and social service programs as needed, follow-up visits to insure family’s needs are appropriately addressed and referral services for social/health related problems are provided, environmental inspections on behalf of lead elevated/poisoned children with services that range from an initial state certified lead inspection to appropriate lead hazard removal, hazard reduction temporary measures, post-abatement dust samples, regional technical assistance to local boards of health, housing and code enforcement agencies, outreach, lead poisoning prevention, education and referrals to property owners, tenants, realtors, community/social agencies, local boards of health throughout the service area.  Merrimack Valley Lead Poison Prevention Program currently does outreach through local service providers, local media, GLCAC, Inc. website, participation in health initiatives and health fairs, etc.  These outreach avenues will be used to promote participation in the activities proposed for this project.