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PolkCounty has been awarded a$3 million Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant from the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development. Thethree-year grant will provide funding to conduct lead repair work in 206housing units in Polk and DallasCounties. The program will involve assisting low incomefamilies with children under the age of six. Although this project encompasses all of Polk County,special targeting will be placed on zip code areas with very high socioeconomicand environmental risk factors. Thisgrant is the largest ever received by the Polk County Health Department andallows us to leverage existing resources and commitments to address leadpoisoning in our community by repairing more homes. But most importantly, we will be able tosignificantly reduce the number of children who are lead poisoned. Childhood lead poisoning has adverse effects on nearly allorgan systems in the body. It isespecially harmful to the developing brain and nervous systems of childrenunder the age of six years. At very highblood lead levels, children can have severe brain damage or even die. Children’s intelligence, hearing, and growthcan be affected at blood levels as low as 10 micrograms per deciliter. According to Polk County Health Services,lead poisoning is one of the top causes of mental retardation in children inour county. Statewide, the prevalence of lead poisoning among childrenunder the age of six years is 7%. Thisis more than four times the national average of 1.6%. In PolkCounty, the prevalence oflead poisoning among children under six years averages 4% but can be as high as14% in some zip code areas.
Lead poisoning is 100% preventable by addressing the hazardsin our housing stock. Remedying leadhazards is a long-term strategy which requires the community to prioritizetheir housing rehab funding streams to target families with children under theage of six who reside in homes built before 1978 (the year lead paint wasbanned from residential use). In 2006, the Polk County Board of Supervisors approved a newhealth regulation aimed to eliminate the dangers of lead paint in the county’saging homes. The new ordinance providedfor the inspection and correction of lead based paint hazards in locationswhere children test positive for elevated blood lead levels. The HUD funds will serve as a catalyst to dramaticallyincrease the scope of our work. Thirty-four partner organizations have committed over $5 million infunding or in-kind services for education, outreach, relocation costs, and homerepairs. The organizations contributingfunding resources include the Polk County Board of Supervisors, City of Des Moines, HOME, Inc.,Neighborhood Housing Finance Corporation, Polk County Housing Trust fund, USDARural Development and the Region XII Council of Governments. The HUD Grant alone is not nearly enough to eradicate theproblem but is a great step forward. Weare hopeful that through our successful administration of this grant,additional federal dollars will become available allowing us to continue ourremediation efforts at this new accelerated level. We look forward to hearing from you. If you would like to visit regarding this orany subject, please call me at (515) 286-3119 or email me at egiovan@co.polk.ia.us.
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