University of Alabama in Huntsville, College of Nursing

With funding from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, NCHH awarded 15 $5,000 Lead Poisoning Awareness Community Mini-Grants in 2017. These grants were for community events focused on raising awareness, engaging community leaders in advocacy, or motivating policy change around lead poisoning prevention.

As a mini-grantee, UAH helped raise awareness about lead poisoning among children in Uniontown, Alabama, a low-income, predominantly black community located in the state’s Black Belt, holding a two-day workshop with 90 attendees.

During this event UAH collected water samples for lead testing and conducted dust lead testing and handed out door prizes (provided by grant) and 40 faucet water filters donated by PUR Company. In addition, UAH presented the test results from the previous visit, shared videos with parents and children about how to prevent lead poisoning, gave presentations about steps to prevent lead poisoning, and enumerated the 10 Policies to Prevent and Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure report. In addition, UAH educated the attendees on how to communicate with policy makers. We gave a presentation on how to contact legislators, and provided the community with a template to help them communicate their concerns with policy makers.

UAH also contacted government offices at the state and local levels prior to the event, holding multiple meetings with the Governor’s office, and with staff from one Congressional office and one City Council member attending the workshop. Throughout the process, UAH involved community leaders with the planning, participant and coordinator recruiting, and water and dust sampling, gaining 25 new coalition/network members. The event helped UAH strengthen relationships and trust in the community.