Houston, TX
The City of Houston received $350,000 through cooperative agreement EH21-2102 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in FY 2022. The funds address childhood lead poisoning prevention and surveillance programmatic activities being conducted from September 30, 2022 to September 29, 2023.
The strategies focus on community-based approaches for lead hazard elimination and emphasize population-based policy intervention.
To learn more about these efforts in Houston, contact the program below.
Houston Health Department
Bureau of Community and Children’s Environmental Health
Childhood Lead Poisoning and Prevention Program
8000 North Stadium Drive
Houston, TX 77054
Phone: 832-393-5141
Outreach Interventions to Increase Testing Rates in City of Houston, Texas
In the Houston jurisdiction, 16 zip codes are at high risk for lead exposure. The Houston Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) partnered with community-based organizations to improve lead screening rates in zip codes with low numbers of children being tested.
Houston CLPPP launched extensive outreach efforts during October 2021 to August 2022. They reached out to local community organizations, schools, colleges and universities, the medical community, and others in two ZIP codes with a high risk of lead exposure. The outreach activities addressed the importance of lead testing, effects of lead exposure, sources of lead, industrial-based exposures, and prevention. Efforts included hosting one-on-one educational sessions with parents and providing educational materials at community health fairs and community events. Houston CLPPP hosted a live webinar on current priorities on prevention and the potential effects of lead exposure on children’s health. The webinar was presented by a Harvard Chan School of Public Health Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences adjunct professor.
The webinar was attended by approximately 126 people from the medical field, health agencies, and various organizations. The extensive outreach activities have increased awareness of lead exposure, which was evaluated based on qualitative feedback from participants. The Houston CLPPP participated in 27 outreach activities with over 2,500 attendees. Educational materials (3-page flyers about what is lead, prevention, and lead in the workplace) were mailed to approximately 25 metal supply businesses and hardware stores. Participants in these outreach activities disseminated these educational materials within their own communities.
Funding for this work was made possible in part by CDC-RFA-EH21-2102 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the CDC, nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsements by the U. S. Government.
Lead Screenings for Women, Infants, and Children in Houston
Houston Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (HCLPPP) blood lead level (BLL) data from 2016 indicated that 826 children screened in targeted zip codes had elevated BLLs. However, only 24% of children under age 6 years living in those zip codes were screened, suggesting the number of children with elevated BLLs is most likely higher than recorded.
HCLPPP had a long-standing goal to screen children for lead exposure at Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics because they serve populations in high-risk areas. For over a decade, HCLPPP unsuccessfully encouraged WIC clinics to include lead screening services.
In the summer of 2018, HCLPPP conducted lead screening near the Northside community in Houston. The results gathered from the screening influenced the mayor and city council members to lend support to HCLPPP’s screening initiative in WIC clinics. With the political support, HCLPPP achieved its goal of implementing lead screenings at the La Nueva Casa de Amigos WIC Center.
La Nueva Casa WIC has screened 401 children and pregnant women for blood lead. Surveillance data indicate that 80% of the children and women were screened for the first time or have reported BLLs for the first time.
Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001381 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.