2009 Lead Poisoning Rates

State Legislation

Lead Prevention Training

Landlord Training

Lead Safe Cleaning Practices

Partner of the Month: Michigan Family Resources

Hazard Reduction Committee
Meets at Home Repair Services, 1100 South Division
NEXT MEETING: 10:00am, Wed., April  28

Outreach Committee
Meets at the Baxter Community Center, 935 Baxter SE
NEXT MEETING: 3:30pm, Wed., April 22

Lead Hazard Control Partners
Meets at City Hall (fourth floor), 300 Monroe NW
NEXT MEETING: 8:30am, Tues., April 13

Lead Liability Training for Landlords
DeVos Plance, Room Monroe B
303 Monroe Ave NW
6:00 - 8:30pm, Thursday, April 22
Call (800) 701-7762 to register

Number of Tests

 Number of Children with Lead Poisoning

Percent of Children Tested with Lead Poisoning

Fixing Homes

Homes repaired by the City of Grand Rapids Get the Lead Out! Lead Hazard Control Program

Lead Poisoning Rates in Kent County Reach Important Benchmarks

The Michigan Department of Community Health has released surveillance data for 2009 and the numbers for Kent County have reached two important benchmarks.  Rates for both Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids continue to drop.

To read more, click here.

State Legislature Considers Oversight of EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule

Bills have been introduced into both chambers of the Michigan Legislature to allow the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to assume responsibility for the oversight and enforcement of the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule.  Beginning April 22, the EPA rule will require all contractors and landlords working in pre-1978 target housing and child-occupied facilities to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices.  The State bills would allow MDCH to work as EPA's agent in certification and enforcement.

To read more, click here.

35 People Trained in Lead Prevention, Asthma Treatment

On March 12, the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan and the Asthma Network of West Michigan hosted a full day training for nurses, health professionals, and others on steps they can take to help prevent lead poisoning and to help children suffering from asthma.  Due in part to housing conditions, communities with children with asthma are often the same as those with high lead poisoning rates.  Children who live in these communities experience high risk for both health conditions.

Landlord Training Scheduled for April 22

The Rental Property Owners Association, in partnership with Healthy Homes and the City of Grand Rapids, is offering a workshop entitled Protecting Your Rental Business from Lead-Based Paint Thursday, April 22 at 6:00pm at DeVos Place (Monroe B).  This workshop will teach about the new federal EPA regulations that go into effect on that day.

Attendees will also learn about other local, state and federal regulations that pertain to lead paint and resources available to landlords to make their properties lead-safe and to protect their businesses from lead-based paint liability.  To register for this free workshop, call (800) 701-7762.

Spread the word!

Lead Safe Cleaning Practices Classes Available to YOUR Constituents

The Healthy Homes Coalition continues to look for partners to help organize Lead-Safe Cleaning Practices classes for their constituents.  Participating organizations get $25 for every eligible household that attends.

The class is 90-minutes long and teaches low-cost and no-cost strategies parents can take to better protect their children from lead in the home.  Parents are also made aware of more in-depth helps such as the City of Grand Rapids Get the Lead Out! Lead Hazard Control program.  And they leave armed with the unique mops and buckets the Healthy Homes Coalition recommends for cleaning up lead dust.

Eligible families must be low-moderate income and have a resident child 0-5 years of age or pregnant woman residing in the home.  For more information about how your organization can earn some cash and benefit your families at the same time, contact Courtney Myers-Keaton at (616) 241-3300 or courtney@healthyhomescoalition.org.

Get the Lead Out! Partner of the Month: Michigan Family Resources

Michigan Family Resources (MFR) is the local Head Start service provider, serving more than 1,800 young children, birth through age four, with early childhood education and support services.

Because of their target audience, MFR is a natural partner for reaching parents of young children.  To qualify for services, families must also be low income, which means many of the children served by MFR live in older housing with potential lead hazards.  MFR has partnered with the Get the Lead Out! campaign to offer Lead-Safe Cleaning Practices training to parents at a number of their sites

MFR not only trains their workers in childhood lead poisoning prevention and promotes lead safety with parents, but they also make sure kids get tested.  Through a combination of education, referrals, confirmation, and testing, MFR has made sure that all but 139 of their more than 1,893 children have been tested this year--an amazing success rate of nearly 93%!