Oneida County Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program (CLPPPP)

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) has been providing technical assistance and evaluation support to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program (CLPPPP) since the inception of the initiative in 2007. Each of the 15 grantee programs operates within a unique local landscape that impacts the distinct challenges they face and successes they accomplish.
As a CLPPP Program grantee, the Oneida County CLPPPP program seeks to achieve five goals:
1. Identify housing at greatest risk of lead-based paint hazards.
2. Develop partnerships and community engagement to promote primary prevention.
3. Promote interventions to create lead-safe housing units.
4. Build lead-safe work practices (LSWP) workforce capacity.
5. Identify community resources for lead-hazard control.

Since 2007, Oneida County CLPPPP has worked with property owners to remove lead paint hazards in housing in targeted census tracts and block groups in the 13501 and 13502 ZIP codes in the city of Utica. Within those areas, the program sub-targets houses with newborns and newly arrived refugees with children under age seven as well as families with children under six with blood lead levels less than 15 ug/dL. The program also inspects properties because of referrals from partner agencies or code enforcement or requests from owners or tenants. Through targeted street drive-by initiatives, door-hangers are left on units identified with visual hazards. Primary Prevention Program staff conducted 100% of all interior inspections.

When inspections are conducted by program staff, the initial inspection consists of an interior and exterior visual inspection and dust wipe sampling. The inspector also completes a floor plan showing the location of hazards. In an initial home visit, home visiting staff provide extensive education on lead hazards and lead poisoning prevention and cleaning supplies. At a second visit, the home visitor reviews the results of the dust testing and encourages use of a HEPA vacuum until any needed remediation work can be completed. When reviewing the work plan for remediation of identified lead hazards with tenants or landlords who have completed the lead renovator certification class, a voucher for a primer paint is issued if lack of resources to complete work plan is indicated.

Lead paint dust created during renovation work can substantially increase children’s exposure to lead.
Oneida County works to address this problem by training landlords, homeowners, and contractors in lead-safe work practices. This training, offered in partnership with the Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), focuses on reducing the amount of dust generated during paint-disturbing work, containing any dust generated, and thoroughly cleaning the jobsite after work to remove any lead-contaminated dust. MVCC offers a variety of courses each month in multiple locations around the county to insure ease of access for contractors and rental property owners.