Increasing Community Capacity: How Rural Communities Are Impacting Lead Poisoning Prevention

by Ashely Williams

This is part one of a three-part series. We’ll get to know the grantees individually in parts two and three, to be published on April 16 and April 23, respectively.

In rural America, 11.5 million homes are exposed to environmental health and safety hazards; however, these communities are often underfunded and lack the capacity to address these hazards. The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is committed to listening, understanding, and building capacity in rural areas. In November 2023, NCHH, in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and PHI Center for Health Leadership and Impact (CHLI), a program of Public Health Institute (PHI), with funding from CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, launched a mini-grant competition to provide support to organizations located in or serving communities in rural areas and U.S. territories to build capacity and advance evidence-based efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning.

The 2023 Lead Poisoning Prevention Mini-Grants: Increasing Rural Community Capacity for Lead Poisoning Prevention funding opportunity was designed to identify, spread, and grow successful policies and systems, support new communities to take action, and build capacity as a foundation for lasting impact. In addition to the unique project design, we did not set an eligibility criteria for “rural,” which allowed applicants to describe their own communities or communities they serve. There are multiple definitions of rural used by other funders and agencies, which causes variations in population size, location, terminology, and data; and for communities that may not fit their particular definition, it creates a barrier for them to access funding opportunities.

We hoped this unique scope would attract a diverse group of applicants from across the country that would bring unique and significant insights about the needs and opportunities for lead poisoning prevention in rural areas. Thankfully, the response did not disappoint! We received 33 applications from 19 states and one U.S. territory, with at least one application from every federal region. Seven communities were selected—five finalists received technical assistance packages consisting of a $50,000 mini-grant, and two semifinalists received $25,000 mini-grants and up to six months of optional technical assistance.

Finalists:

• American Samoa Department of Health, Pago Pago, American Samoa.
• City-Cowley County Health Department, Winfield, Kansas.
• Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT), Fort Scott, Kansas.
• Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity (MCUP), Duck Hill, Mississippi.
• Young, Gifted & Green, Memphis, Tennessee.

Semifinalists:

• Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition (NEOBHC), Cleveland, Ohio.
• Thoughts Before Actions (TBA), St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana.

NCHH worked with the grantees at the beginning of the six-month project period to establish a series of measurable indicators. Over the course of the six months, the grantees met regularly with TA coaches from either NCHH or ASTHO to discuss progress, brainstorm and problem-solve, connect grantees to resources and other communities, and provide expertise. Below is a brief recap of some of the grantees’ key successes, as measured by their indicators:

• Over 660 children were screened from over 400 households.
• Grantees formed new partnerships or signed new MOUs with 19 new partners.
• Grantees held at least 21 coalition or network meetings.
• Grantees held 13 awareness or community organizing events.
• Nine community leaders were engaged and trained on lead.
• Nine staff were trained on conducting lead screenings.
• Grantees held six site visits, meetings, or workshops with policymakers.
• Three LeadCare II machines were purchased.¹
• Two short educational videos were produced.
• One new lead advisory committee was launched.
• One new lead and healthy homes coalition was launched.
• One new lead program and accompanying draft lead poisoning prevention plan was established.
• One XRF machine was purchased.

The work accomplished by the grantees in such a short time frame highlights what is possible in rural communities when they have access to opportunities and flexible funding that allows for innovation, paired with technical assistance. It also shows the impact of allowing rural communities to define their needs rather than trying to fit a preset definition of “rural.” This brief recap does not fully capture the dedication, energy, and effort put in by these grantees; however, it gives you a glimpse of the capabilities of rural communities.

This is part one of a three-part blog series. We’ll highlight the grantees and their accomplishments in parts two and three.

Sarah Goodwin also contributed to this blog.

Ashely Williams, MPH, CHES, Public Health Analyst, joined the National Center for Healthy Housing in October 2022. A former summer policy intern with NCHH, she holds a Master of Public Health degree from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ashely has a passion for helping others, particularly with improving their health and the health of their communities, schools, workplaces, and more; she does so by addressing social determinants of health, health equity, and disparities. Ashely earned her Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential in 2023.