Lead Safe High Point Goes Door to Door (Health Event)
On Wednesday, June 23, the Guilford County Department of Public Health organized a lead outreach effort to take information about the dangers of lead based paint and the City of High Point’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Program to residents living in the Franklin Street area of the city.  Registered Environmental Health Specialists and Health Educators from the Department of Public Health were joined by staff from the City of High Point, Community Development and Housing Department, the United Way of Greater High Point and the Guilford Partnership for Children. 

Five teams visited 86 homes. Staff talked with owners and renters and provided written information on lead poisoning, the possible sources of lead in a home, free lead testing available through the Health Department and the City’s program that can provide lead remediation to qualifying owners. This was the second outreach effort; another event took place on April 16. Another 75 homes were visited during that effort, which took place in the Camden and Dartmouth Avenue area.

These outreach efforts are part of the Lead Safe High Point initiative and is being funded by a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.  In addition to community education, this initiative is working to increase the number of children ages 6 and under who are tested for lead as well as finding and remediating qualifying homes that may contain lead based paint hazards.

For more information on having your child tested for lead, a free service for children ages 6 and younger, contact the Guilford County Department of Public Health at 845-7699.  For more information about Lead Safe High Point or the City of High Point’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Program, call 883-3349. 

What is Lead Safe High Point?

“Lead Safe High Point” is a Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and the City of High Point, dedicated to outreach and education on lead-based paint hazards.

Who Is Most Affected by Lead Poisoning?

1) Pregnant women and the fetus, and 2) children from birth to six years of age. Poisoned children may have no visible illness or symptoms. Children at risk for lead poisoning live in or frequent buildings built before 1978 with deteriorated lead-based paint.

Why is Lead-Based Paint a Danger?

Lead is a highly toxic metal that "mimics" the essential mineral calcium, finding its way into the soft tissues of a child’s liver, kidneys and brain. Just a slight amount of lead can disrupt a child's development, causing learning and behavioral problems. A child may have lead poisoning and not feel sick.

How Can I Test My Children for Lead?

Contact your physician or local health department. The Guilford County Public Health Department (845-7699) offers free blood lead testing for children under the age of six. All children in Guilford County, under six years, are required by county ordinance to be tested for lead in their blood prior to entering any state approved or licensed child care facilities, child care home, preschool, nursery school, elementary school or other child care facilities.

What Will the City of High Point Lead Hazard Control Program Provide?

• Lead-Based Paint remediation services for households living in pre-1978 residential housing located in High Point,
• Hazard Reduction/Remediation Grants for lead-based paint removal,
• Increase lead screening of High Point children.

"Lead poisoning is the number one preventable childhood disease in the United States."
Centers for Disease Control

Lead Safe
High Point