Cleveland Makes Big Progress After Rochester Visit & More: CPLP Newsletter

Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning Newsletter 9/04/19

In this issue:

"We thank you; Cleveland's children and families thank you." City of Cleveland's new lead poisoning prevention law.
Inside Coalition member Katrina Korfmacher's new book
A look back at the year so far & recap from the Annual Member's Meeting

Cleveland Breaks Barriers
with New Lead Policies

Nine months after the historic learning exchange between Cleveland and Rochester lead advocates, Cleveland makes big strides to protect families.

Cleveland community members listening to Gary Kirkmire discuss proactive
code enforcement last October at the Rochester-Cleveland Learning Exchange.

Last October, over 30 advocates, healthcare professionals, community organizers and residents from Cleveland, Ohio came to Rochester for a 1 and a half day learning exchange on Rochester's lead poisoning prevention successes. The conference ended in immense enthusiasm and a new camaraderie between Rochester and Cleveland participants. Now, 9 months later, the group formed their own coalition (Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition), passed a historic city-wide lead ordinance, and hosted a community driven Lead Safe Home Summit which several CPLP members were invited to speak.

"The Rochester learning exchange was the single greatest turning point for our fledgling Coalition." Said Daniel Cohn, Vice President of Strategy at the Mt. Sinai Healthcare Foundation in Cleveland. "It was so important for our public- and private-sector colleagues to see how all the pieces can come together, and how very possible all of this is. The [Lead Safe Cleveland] Coalition has marked an important moment for setting aside our differences to focus on something much bigger than any of us individually. Now, we turn to the very real challenge of translating policy into action."

The new law, passed in July, includes several measures to focus on reducing childhood lead poisoning rates, particularly in rental units. The law:

Requires landlords to pay for private inspections and secure lead-safe certificates for their occupied rental units starting March 1, 2021.
Relies on city-issued tickets and can charge property owners with housing code violations if they do not comply.
Increases rental registration fees from $35 to $70 annually, with a cap of $30,000 for multi-unit buildings.
Requires additional disclosures to renters and homebuyers about whether a home has an identified lead hazard.
Creates a Lead Safe Advisory Board, a Lead Safe Housing Action Board, a Lead Screening and Testing Commission and a Lead Safe Auditor to track the progress and impact of the law.

Elizabeth McDade, CPLP Program Manager, attended and spoke at the Cleveland Lead Summit in June. “It was absolutely awe inspiring to see such an enormous number of people, from all different walks, coming together to figure out how best to keep their children safe from the ravages of lead poisoning.” Elizabeth continued, “The CPLP Lead Summit in Rochester in June 2004 pre-dates my involvement with the Coalition, but if it was anything like the one in Cleveland, then I am sure that Cleveland will also realize the benefits our community has experienced after a decade plus of focused work. Their community has the expertise and most importantly, the passion and drive to make sustainable change. It was a fantastic experience. My favorite part was sitting in on a live City Council session. They actually moved the lead ordinance legislation out of committee right there at the Summit. It was so nerdy and so thrilling. Kudos to all our friends in Cleveland. Well done!”

"We owe a debt of gratitude for the generosity of time and spirit of our colleagues in Rochester." said Cohn. "In no uncertain terms: Cleveland's success and ongoing momentum would not be possible were it not for the guiding light our Rochester colleagues provided us. We thank you; Cleveland's children and families thank you."

Congrats to our colleagues in Cleveland!

Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition collaborator and Councilman Blaine Griffin during a
press conference for the Lead Safe Plan for the city of Cleveland.

Inside Katrina Korfmacher's
New Book "Bridging Silos"

Longtime Coalition member and leader Katrina Korfmacher publishes her new book on environmental and public health in urban communities across the country.

The entire Coalition whole-heartedly congratulates longtime member and leader, Katrina Korfmacher, for the wonderful news about the publication of her new book "Bridging Silos: Collaborating for Environmental Health and Justice in Urban Communities."

The book examines ways that communities can collaborate across systems and sectors to address environmental health disparities, with in-depth studies of three efforts to address long standing environmental health issues: childhood lead poisoning in Rochester New York, unhealthy built environments in Duluth Minnesota, and pollution related to commercial ports and international trade in Southern California.

Environmental health leaders have already been praising the book prior to its official release date.

"Bridging Siloes offers hope at a time of federal inaction on pressing environmental and public health issues. Through practical examples, Korfmacher shows that by listening to the most vulnerable voices, working across political and bureaucratic boundaries, and designing systemic solutions, our local communities can keep our country moving forward."

Ginny McCarthy, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

You can preorder the paperback now, or wait for the official release date later this month to download the book for free as part of The MIT Press Open Access initiative. You can also get a glimpse of the book and author in person at a book reading at Writers & Books on September 25th, 7pm.

Congratulations Katrina on this huge accomplishment and your dedication to
telling important stories nationwide!

2019 Annual Member's Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Member's Meeting in June. It was a wonderful success with over 45 attendees and an outstanding talk from Stephanie Pasquale, the Commissioner of Neighborhood Business and Development in the City of Syracuse.

At the Annual Meeting this year we...

Recognized over 25 community partners for their incredible lead poisoning prevention work.
Re-elected all of our chair positions for the coalition and coalition subcommittees.
Announced the launch of our new educational, family friendly app for our tabling events.

Looking at the next year ahead of us, CPLP will be especially focusing on...

Strengthening our relationships in and around Monroe County
Focusing awareness building efforts around home lead testing and RRP certification among contractors.

A sample image of CPLP's new educational app made in partnership with
Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield and Makeway.

We Can't Do This Without You

Our Annual Meeting exemplified how lucky we are to have such a connected, committed group of members and supporters keeping families safe everyday. We need your help to continue breaking silos to reach families in bigger, better ways.

By donating to the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, you're helping children in our community grow up stronger and healthier.

We depend on coalition members to help us collaborate and fund this vital work. Thank you.

~ Mel Callan, CPLP Chair

**Note: When donating, you will be directed to our parent organization, Causewave.
You can specify that your donation is for CPLP**

Help Make Your Community Stronger; Donate To CPLP

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The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning · 274 N Goodman St · Rochester, NY 14607 · USA