U.S. Flag and Missouri State Flag Kit Bond, Sixth Generation Missourian
 

Bond Addresses Community Health Forum on Lead Poisoning Senator Urges City to Continue Progress Towards 2010 Goal

Contact: Rob Ostrander or Shana Stribling 202.224.5721
Monday, May 8, 2006

ST. LOUIS, MO – U.S. Senator Kit Bond, one of Congress’ leading advocates for making cities across the nation lead-safe, today spoke at a community health forum on childhood lead poisoning where he praised St. Louis for their progress in protecting children from lead poisoning.

“St. Louis is using this new HUD money to change the way we attack this problem and we are starting to see results. In St. Louis the number of children at risk decreased, more children are being tested, and more houses are now safe,” said Bond.

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds housing, Senator Bond is in a unique position to take action against lead paint. With the city of St. Louis in mind, Bond and his colleague, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, created and funded an initiative at HUD that has provided $150 million over the last three years for lead abatement in cities with the worst lead paint problems. As part of the Bond-Mikulski Lead Initiative, the St. Louis program has received almost $7 million for Lead Safe St. Louis, the city’s program to make St. Louis lead-free.

At today’s forum, held at a newly lead-safe apartment building, Bond was joined by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, founder and co-chair of the Children’s Health Forum (CHF), and former HUD Secretary and CHF Co-Chair Jack Kemp.

Secretary Jackson said, "Working closely with Senator Bond and local communities around the country, we've dramatically reduced the number of lead-poisoned children, protecting them from a life of learning disabilities, behavior problems and illness. But even one child who's exposed to hazardous lead-based paint is too many. As a nation, we are committed to ending this preventable disease once and for all."

"The City of St. Louis has proven, thanks to the leadership of Mayor Slay and Senator Bond, what determined citizens can accomplish when given the opportunity to prevent childhood exposures to lead hazards. We have a long road ahead, but I'm confident we'll get there. Together, we will ensure all our children can thrive in a healthy and safe environment,” said Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Founder and Chair, Children's Health Forum

In 2003, Bond challenged Mayor Slay to make St. Louis lead-free by 2010. Mayor Slay enthusiastically accepted the challenge. Since that time, Bond has pledged and delivered an additional $15 million in federal funds for Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Center to design and implement a primary prevention model to keep children from being poisoned by lead in the first place. These funds are in addition to the HUD lead demonstration grants and are focused on primary prevention services for pregnant women and their children.

Bond praised the success of the program, which is administered by Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers. Grace Hill is now remediating more than 30 houses each month in six high risk neighborhoods and is well on the way of making more than 900 homes lead-safe in a three year period. Bond said as a result of the program fewer children are at risk for elevated blood lead levels, more houses are being cleaned and remediated, and more homes are now ‘lead-safe’ for children.

Bond thanked the city officials, the Children’s Health Forum and community organizations for their leadership in the fight against lead. Bond also thanked HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson for sharing his commitment to improving public and assisted housing and reviving troubled communities across the nation.

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