BROOKLYN — The Northeast District Department of Health (NDDH) is one of 15 national awardees to receive a lead poisoning prevention awareness mini-grant from the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH).
As part of efforts to promote Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (Oct. 22-28), NDDH will use the $5,000 award to host a Lead Poisoning Prevention Forum from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Oct. 24 at the health department on 69 South Main St.
Funds will also be used to host a free Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Renovator Training – Initial Course: Lead Safety for Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) on Nov. 1 also at the health department. The RRP training will be conducted in partnership with Mystic Air Quality Consultants and is aimed at contractors, workers, painters, remodelers, and rental property owners and landlords who are conducting renovation in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities.
Those interested in attending the Lead Poisoning Prevention Forum on October 24 or the EPA RRP Training on November 1 may register by calling NDDH at 860-774-7350.
“Lead poisoning prevention has always been a public health priority,” said Susan Starkey, NDDH director of Health. “The state budget is impacting a number of programs, so it was essential for us to find another funding source for this important work. We submitted a compelling application and are grateful to NCHH for awarding us this national grant.”
NDDH’s application, “Healthy Homes Northeast CT: Love Where You Live and Live Lead- Free – A Community Partnership to Prevent Lead Poisoning” was one of 91 applications from 30 states and the District of Columbia received by NCHH.
“This grant came along at the perfect time,” said Linda Colangelo, NDDH Education and Communications coordinator. “With support from our partners in the Lead, Radon, and Healthy Homes Program at the CT Department of Public Health, we have been collaborating with local building officials, HUD administrators and inspectors, realtors, building contractors, physicians, and the community at large for the past few years to increase awareness about lead poisoning prevention. Fifty-seven northeast Connecticut children were
lead poisoned in 2015. The Oct. 24 forum will explore strategic ways to prevent more children from being poisoned.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that lead poisoning is 100% preventable if children are kept from coming in contact with lead. Although there are several exposure sources, lead-based paint is the most widespread and dangerous high-dose source of lead exposure for young children. All houses built before 1978 are likely to contain some lead-based paint. However, it is the deterioration of this paint that causes a problem. Common home renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint. These can be harmful to adults and children. Children under the age of 6 years are most at risk because they grow so rapidly and tend to put their hands or other objects, which may be contaminated with lead dust, into their mouths.
Protecting children from exposure to lead is important for lifelong good health. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention and academic achievement. Effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected. The most important step parents, doctors and others can take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs.
The competitive solicitation for the grant was led by the National Center for Healthy Housing, the preeminent national nonprofit dedicated to securing healthy homes for all, and the Trust for America’s Health, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. Funding was made possible through the Health Impact Project, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Health Impact Project report, 10 Policies to Prevent and Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure, was published on August 30, 2017.
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Donation
Susan Desrosiers, left, executive director of The Arc Quinebaug Valley, receives a donation of $556 from George Dimopoulos, Woodstock branch manager of bankHometown. Courtesy photo.
Arc gets $556
donation
WOODSTOCK — A $556 check was presented to Susan Desrosiers, executive director of The Arc Quinebaug Valley, by George Dimopoulos, Woodstock Branch Manager of bankHometown Oct. 16.
Members of the bankHometown team have raised these funds from their “Jeans Day” campaign. The last Friday of each month, bankHometown employees are given the opportunity to wear jeans in return for a small donation, which is then provided to an organization of their collective choice each month.
“We cannot thank the employees of bankHometown enough for their support, generosity and kindness. This donation will go to good use at our agency.” said Desrosiers. “The Arc is very lucky to have community businesses such as bankHometown on our side. We appreciate all of you!” she added.
Then
This is Bugbee's store in the late 1800s. The staff is standing outside the store. Putnam Town Crier file photos.
& Now
This is the former Bugbee's department store today. It is the Antiques Marketplace today.
LaBelle named
visiting fellow
The Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy has appointed Regina LaBelle, JD, as a visiting fellow. In this role, she will be advising the Center on FDA-related policy development and stakeholder engagement, in particular, FDA efforts to improve its risk mitigation strategies and improve the safe use of prescribed opioids. She will also advise the Center on content for webinars and meetings and aid in identifying opportunities for internal and external collaboration. She was born and raised in northeast Connecticut.
Visiting Fellows participate in working groups and activities that support research on a number of initiatives in health care delivery and payment reform, biomedical innovation for pharmaceuticals and devices, and health policy education and workforce development. LaBelle is a principal with LaBelle Strategies, advising governments and non-profit organizations on effective strategies to address today’s opioid epidemic. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and magna cum laude graduate of Boston College. She lives with her husband and son in Maryland.