NCHH and Partners Awarded $1.24 Million for HUD Technical Studies Grants
Media Contact: Christopher Bloom, 443.539.4154, cbloom@nchh.org
COLUMBIA, MD (October 2, 2018) — The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) has received a pair of awards from the FY 2018 Lead and Healthy Homes Technical Studies Program, totaling $1,246,830, according to an announcement made by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) earlier today.
For the Analysis of Benefits of Abatement Techniques and Effectiveness in the HOME Study, nicknamed the “ABATE HOME Study,” ($650,000), NCHH, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the Brown University School of Public Health will conduct a retrospective data analysis of the effectiveness of lead hazard control abatement techniques that were used in the HOME Study (previously funded by HUD and the NIEHS/EPA). We’ll determine whether aggressive lead hazard control interventions, conducted in both urban and suburban households, can keep dust-lead levels sufficiently low to prevent children from developing elevated blood-lead levels. The study will also provide information about the intensity of interventions needed to achieve dust-lead clearance levels that are lower than the current federal standard.
For the Michigan Children’s Lead Determination Study, or the “MI CHILD Study,” ($596,830), NCHH will work with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, analyzing data collected by the State of Michigan’s lead poisoning prevention program to characterize and assess recent lead levels in dust, soil, paint, and drinking water while controlling for a large number of potentially confounding variables. These levels will be modeled to predict exposures using robust structural equation modeling, used previously in the evaluation of HUD’s Lead Hazard Control Grant program and other research. The study will provide updated information on the relative contributions of various residential lead exposure sources to children’s blood-lead levels.
NCHH looks forward to undertaking these two important and insightful research projects with its highly esteemed partners. The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, known for pioneering breakthrough treatments, providing outstanding family-centered patient care, and training healthcare professionals for the future, spearheaded the influential HOME Study from 2001 to 2006; the Brown University School of Public Health is home to 10 centers focused on interdisciplinary research relating to aging and health services, statistical sciences, international health, community health promotion, population health and clinical epidemiology, environmental health and technology, and primary care and prevention, among others; while the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services operates one of the nation’s largest state-based lead hazard control programs, pursuant to a creative and approved Medicaid/CHIP state plan amendment that will invest $160 million over five years in various lead identification, remediation, and related services.
In total, HUD awarded $6.7 million in grants to various universities and public health organizations in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas to improve methods for identifying and controlling residential health risks including lead-based paint, mold, secondhand tobacco smoke, and other indoor contaminants.
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About the National Center for Healthy Housing
The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is the preeminent national nonprofit dedicated to securing healthy homes for all. Since 1992, NCHH has served as a highly regarded and credible change agent, successfully integrating healthy housing advocacy, research, and capacity building under one roof to reduce health disparities nationwide. You can follow NCHH on Twitter (@nchh) or LinkedIn or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthyHousing.