Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr., today announced the beginning of Oneida County’s LEAD OUTreachProgram, which will use participants in the Oneida County Summer Youth Employment Program to distribute lead poisoning prevention awareness information to households in Utica. 

“Oneida County’s LEAD OUTreach project is designed to work with the Health Department to take information on lead poisoning prevention and get it into the hands of people living in the highest-risk areas of Utica,” Picente said. “Youth participants will be involved in distributing the literature door-to-door, and also in assisting the Health Department to survey neighborhood residents regarding their knowledge of lead hazards. The results of these surveys will assist the Health Department to better understand how residents are responding to the message we have been sending.”

“Community education and community outreach are two very important parts of Oneida County’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, and this partnership helps us accomplish both of these goals,” said Oneida County Director of Health Dr. Gayle Jones. “The Oneida County Health Department has been a leader in working with the community to address the lead poisoning situation, and this new initiative expands our partnerships to provide lead prevention education to our constituents.”

Oneida County Director of Workforce Development David Mathis said the project fulfills multiple goals. “We want the youth to work, and we also want them to see what they can accomplish through their work,” he said. “In this project, the youth will be making a difference in the community, they will be learning about an important community issue, and they will be learning about public policy through the survey. We’re very happy to work on the project team.”