NPC NEWS BULLETIN
September 24, 1999 .........................Issue 4

The NPC News Bulletin is brought to you by the National Parent Consortium (NPC), a project of the National Parent Network on Disabilities. Each issue of the NPC News Bulletin features a different theme and highlights Consortium activities and related maternal and child health, as well as other health-related information for families. This issue focuses on the next National Video Teleconference. We invite you to visit the National Parent Consortium website to learn more about who we are and what we do.

National Video Teleconference

Lead Poisoning
Still an Environmental Problem for Children and Families

November 19, 1999 ° 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

The Bright Futures for Families video teleconference is hosted by the National Parent Consortium and is sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. NPC focuses on exchanging information, improving the health status of mothers and children, facilitating access to health care for children, and developing community-based, family-centered, and culturally competent systems of health care and health-related services.

Bright Futures for Families, Keeping Our Kids Healthy & Safe: Lead Poisoning - Still an Environmental Problem for Children and Families is a national video teleconference that will air Friday, November 19, 1999 at 1:00 P.M., E.S.T. This two (2) hour satellite broadcast is intended for parents, grandparents, childcare workers, and professionals and features national experts, federal officials, and parents who will share their knowledge on how you can protect your child.

Remember, lead poisoning is still the number one environmental hazard to children. This critical issue of lead poisoning cuts across all economic boundaries and ethnic cultures. Some cities are reporting almost one of every four children under the age of six are the victims of lead.

• Learn why and what you need to know about lead poisoning and the possible serious, or even life threatening effects it can have on children. Lead poisoning is a chronic problem to our children with acute effects that are not always readily evident.
• Learn what you can do "now" to give children a bright future and prevent lead poisoning.

The teleconference is interactive and will take questions from viewers across the country. The program is free and will be broadcast to a site in your area, and will provide a local authority on lead to respond to your questions and share local resources. It will be simultaneously translated into Spanish and captioned for individuals with hearing impairments.

For additional information on how you can locate and/or host a satellite downlink site contact 202-546-4464, or send an e-mail: inclus2@idsonline.com. You may also access the NPC website: www.natlparentconsortium.org.

From "Alliance Alert" (A publication by the Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning - September/October 1999)

Lead poisoning prevention efforts throughout the United States will receive a major boost when the Campaign for a Lead-Safe America unveils a new awareness and education initiative on the last week of October. Over the next two years, the Campaign's activities and messages will be targeted to four key audiences: parents; rental property owners; consumers of home improvement products; and professionals in home improvement trades. Each of these audiences will receive campaign messages on lead poisoning prevention from a variety of sources, including the media, local community events, professional association seminars and trade shows, retail point-of-purchase displays and the Internet. The Campaign will produce national print and broadcast public service announcements and public transit ads that will appear in selected metropolitan areas. Special efforts will be made to reach caregivers of children at highest risk of lead poisoning.

Other features of the new awareness initiative include:
1) a Community Outreach Program to coordinate the activities of hundreds of local groups with the overall Campaign and its national partners to maximize the impact of all;
2) a National Partnership Program to leverage the resources of businesses, professional and trade associations, media and other organizations to disseminate and reinforce Campaign messages and other organizations to disseminate and reinforce Campaign messages to key audiences; and
3) a web site to provide information on lead safety, updates on Campaign activities, links to other resources and an exciting overview of lead poisoning programs around the country.

For more information on the Campaign or to become a partner, contact Campaign for a Lead-Safe America, PO Box 65464, Washington, DC 20035; 202-331-4323, or lead-safe@vancomm.com.

Surgeon General's Conference On Children and Oral Health
June 12-13, 2000 in Washington, DC

The Surgeon General views the oral health of children as a significant public health issue. Join the Surgeon General for his conference on "Children and Oral Health "Face of a Child" on June 12-13, 2000 in Washington, D.C. If you are interested in learning more information on the conference and to be placed on the mailing list for registration information, as well as information on abstract guidelines and obtaining abstract submission forms, please visithttp://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sgr/children/children.htm