NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
FOR IMMEDIATE USE |
CITY LEAD POISONING PREVENTION PROGRAM PICKED FOR $3 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDINGHarrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that more than 200 homes have been renovated, 45 of them in the past 12 months, under Harrisburg’s award winning lead poisoning prevention program. This week marks the city’s annual observance of Lead Paint Hazard Week, with activities today at Foose Elementary School, 1301 Sycamore Street in South Harrisburg. First begun by the Mayor in 1995, Harrisburg’s Lead Paint Hazard Control Program received a $3 million Lead Hazard Control Grant in 2003 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), as well as a $530,000 HUD Grant from the PA Department of Health. Harrisburg’s program was selected for HUD’s top national ‘best practice’ award for innovative programming, and has since served as a model for programs across the country and was highlighted in federal publications. Reed said the city’s lead hazard control program removes or abates lead hazards in residential properties, provides codes inspections for rental properties, and public education activities focused on lead paint poisoning prevention. The program is run in conjunction with the PinnacleHealth System’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, which assigns a fulltime registered nurse to assist the city’s lead abatement efforts. Reed said as a direct result of removing lead paint from homes, the instances of child lead poisoning have dropped dramatically. In the past two years, the city has registered the lowest rates for child lead poisoning of any other measured city in the state. The city also operates a “safe house” for families who are temporarily dislocated while abatement work is underway at their homes. “Our lead paint poisoning prevention activities are considered amongst the finest in the nation,” said the Mayor. “Our real success is more accurately measured by the number of young lives and minds that we have been able to save from this hidden affliction. The dramatic drop in city-based lead poisoning cases that we have experienced is proof that this comprehensive abatement effort works, and it works well.” The Mayor said the city’s program was last year conducted at a cost of $550,000. Focused upon the health of city children, the program includes lead hazard risk assessments and testing of children by a public health nurse, who also works with families to educate family members and ensure that children will not develop lead poisoning during the rehabilitation process. City officials will repeat today’s program tomorrow, Thursday, October 28, at Melrose Elementary School, 2041 Berryhill Street, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Partnering with the City of Harrisburg to sponsor this year’s lead awareness activities is Liberty Mutual Group, whose Sales Manager Barry Eaton today presented the Mayor with a $790 donation to underwrite the cost of printing 500 coloring books specifically aimed at helping children and their parents understand how to prevent lead poisoning in children. Boston-based Liberty Mutual is one of the largest multi-line insurers in the property and casualty insurance industry. Their contribution to the city’s lead paint poisoning prevention program is reflective of their concern for the health and safety of Harrisburg’s families. The two educational programs feature the appearance of the City’s lead program mascot STOMP, a lovable, blue plush dinosaur who visits children at schools, day care facilities and public events along with Karen Orlando, a Public Health Nurse with the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) affiliated with PinnacleHealth System. STOMP and Ms. Orlando teach children how to limit their exposure to lead contaminants in their environment. Reed said lead poisoning is the leading environmental health hazard for children less than six years of age, and is most harmful to children under age six because the metal is easily absorbed into their growing bodies and interferes with the developing brain and other organs and systems. Pregnant women and women of childbearing age are also at increased risk. PinnacleHealth System’s CLPP conducted blood lead level screenings at sites such as Head Start centers and day care centers and clinics, as well as door-to-door. Last year, 1,032 children in the city and area were screened for lead with the results showing 125 children (12%) had blood lead levels greater than or equal to 10 ug/dL (micrograms/deciliter). The city realized a 12% drop in the number of children testing positive for lead poisoning in 2003. XXX |
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