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DESCRIPTION OF THE STRATEGY
Requiring governmental agencies that have regular contact with homeowners, landlords, tenants, and parents to disseminate lead poisoning prevention information to their constituents is an effective way to advance primary prevention. Agencies can enclose information on lead poisoning prevention when they mail items such as property tax statements and water and utility bills or when they provide such documents as birth certificates and building permits. This is an effective, low-cost method that can use existing systems and leverage limited funding while distributing lead poisoning prevention information to thousands of people.
BENEFITS
Immediate/Direct
Results:
Lead poisoning prevention information disseminated by public agencies instantly reaches thousands of people who receive property tax bills and pay water and other utility bills.
Public Health
Benefits:
Especially as tied to building permits, this strategy can alert homeowners and rental property owners about the hazards that could be created by disturbing or removing lead-based paint, as well as educate these groups about lead-safe work practices; both are measures that can protect public health. This strategy can also alert parents to potential lead hazards and what steps are needed to protect their children from lead hazards.
Other
Indirect/Collateral Benefits:
This effort can raise awareness about the extent of lead hazards in a community and potentially generate interest in lead hazard control strategies.
Scope of Potential Impact
Statewide City - or - County - Wide Neighborhood/Community
PRIMARY ACTOR(S)
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KEY PARTNER(S)
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Health Department
Code or Building Inspection Agency
Housing Agency
Property Taxation Agency
Medicaid Agency
Public Water Utility
School District
Public Libraries
| Community-based Organizations
Property Owners
Tenants
Utilities
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CRITICAL ELEMENTS
Staff
requirements:
No new staff time should be required; a small percentage of an FTE would be needed to produce and distribute the information materials to the participating agencies.
Other resource requirements:
The information materials to be enclosed with mailings or document distribution.
Institutional
capacity required:
This strategy may require statutory or code authority. It also requires a knowledgeable staff member to compile the information materials and to ensure that all agencies have all required materials for dissemination.
Cost
considerations:
The cost of producing the materials: writing, editing, graphics, reproduction, and the incremental cost of collating the document(s) into the other material the disseminating agency was already distributing.
Timing issues:
Once underlying statutory or code authority is in place, implementation of this strategy should be very quick.
Feasibility of
Implementation:
This strategy should be very easy to implement at any level.
Potential Obstacles/Barriers
A potential challenge is whether property owners and others who receive the information with water or utility bills pay attention to the material they receive.
Additional Resources
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