Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says the city will be offering financial help in the fight to get rid of lead-based paint hazards.
The program will work on making a total of 220 units of housing lead safe over three years, with help provided to eligible home owners and landlords. It's funded through a federal program. It will be focused on properties in neighborhoods where lead poisoning in children commonly occurs.
The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning recently released data from Monroe County that shows there was an increase in the number of children with elevated lead levels in their blood last year.
Interim county health commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza said that overall, lead levels in the community are good, but that data shows that the effort and collaboration to reduce lead poisoning must continue.
Warren calls Rochester "a role model in the fight against lead poisoning," and she said that the city's lead hazard control program, along with the cooperation between community partners and the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning has spared thousands of children from the effects of lead poisoning through the years.
