Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116374

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD¹, Jeffrey A. Davis, BS¹, Richard Y. Lee², Brian E. Letourneau, MSPH³, and Lenora S. Smith, MS⁴. (1) Nicholas School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, PO Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708, 919-613-8708, davisja@duke.edu, (2) Durham Affordable Housing Coalition, 331 W. Main Street, Suite # 408, Durham, NC 27701, (3) Durham County Health Department, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, (4) Partnership Effort for the Advancement of Children's Health, North Carolina Central University, P.O. Box 19738, Miller-Morgan Health Building, Durham, NC 27707

Community Partners Against Lead (CPAL) is a community-based organization that draws on resources from citizens, churches, community groups, government agencies, and university campuses. CPAL came together when multiple stakeholders simultaneously identified childhood lead exposure as a priority area for education, outreach, and policy change in Durham, North Carolina. The mission of CPAL, articulated through a strategic planning process, is: To eliminate childhood lead poisoning in Durham County by 2010 using housing, education, and health initiatives.

CPAL's primary mechanism for change is an outcome-based lead outreach campaign in Durham. Member groups of CPAL collectively offer their services in a concerted effort to raise awareness about lead hazards, provide information on potential lead remediation options available to low income residents, test all children 6 years of age and younger residing in high risk housing, and screen high risk homes for the presence of lead. In 2004, CPAL successfully organized eight door-to-door outreach events in target neighborhoods throughout Central Durham. Using a GIS-based model, CPAL identified Durham's highest risk neighborhoods. Of the 635 homes that CPAL contacted during these community outreach events, 63% requested free home and/or blood lead testing. Of the 302 homes screened for lead, CPAL identified 64% with lead present, and 35% with lead hazards.

CPAL's approach to addressing childhood lead poisoning in Durham works as a successful model to organize community efforts on environmental health concerns. In relying on collaborative partnerships that can design, produce, and implement evidence based outreach projects, CPAL has succeeded in effecting meaningful policy change.

Learning Objectives:

• Emphasize the importance of strategic planning among diverse groups and organizations with different agendas and missions.
• Discuss the role of community participation in environmental health interventions with specific relevance to lead poisoning.
• Compare strategies for leveraging available resources from different organizations to create evidence based outreach programs.

Keywords: Lead, Community Outreach

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.