An 18-month project will use caregiver outreach, education and grocery vouchers to increase childhood lead testing in Yates and Seneca counties, where fewer than half of 1- and 2-year-olds received blood lead tests in 2025.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the $100,000 award Friday to Pivital Public Health Partnership. The funding comes from a settlement with Dollar Tree over its sale of recalled, lead-contaminated applesauce.
Pivital, a nonprofit affiliation of seven Finger Lakes county public health departments, will test approaches intended to help families complete screenings and identify what prevents them from getting their children tested.
The attorney general’s office hopes successful strategies can be shared with other rural communities in the Finger Lakes and across New York.
Testing rates fall below half in both counties
New York requires health care providers to arrange blood lead testing for children around their first and second birthdays. The attorney general’s office said testing rates in Yates and Seneca counties lag behind the state average, potentially leaving lead exposure undetected.
In Yates County, 41% of 1-year-olds and 42.7% of 2-year-olds received blood lead testing in 2025. In Seneca County, the rates were 49.5% and 49.1%, respectively.
Those percentages describe testing participation, not the share of children with lead poisoning.
“Lead poisoning can cause serious and lasting harm to children,” James said. She said the investment is intended to improve access to testing while developing approaches that other rural communities could use.
The New York State Department of Health says no amount of lead exposure is safe for children. Lead can harm growth, behavior and learning, and exposure often occurs when children swallow or breathe dust from old lead paint.
Testing matters even when a child appears healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most children with lead in their blood have no obvious immediate symptoms. A blood test is the best way to identify lead poisoning.
Caregiver feedback will shape outreach
Pivital will hold small-group listening and education sessions in trusted community settings. The sessions will give parents and caregivers an opportunity to explain their experiences with testing and the obstacles they encounter.
“This project helps us to hear directly from parents and caregivers about their experiences with blood lead testing and better understand why testing rates remain low among children ages one and two,” said Michele Foster, Pivital’s executive director.
Families who complete their child’s blood lead test will be offered grocery voucher incentives. The announcement did not specify voucher amounts or a schedule for the sessions.
Caregiver feedback will also shape a messaging campaign, including social media outreach.
The project will prioritize state-designated disadvantaged communities in both counties, with information sessions and targeted marketing focused on neighborhoods facing the greatest barriers to preventive health care.
Pivital will work through county health departments, primary care providers, Early Intervention and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. Using those existing services is intended to help effective strategies continue after the pilot ends.
The project will evaluate which approaches increase testing and identify barriers that require further attention.
Yates County Public Health Director Alyssa Broome-Quissimisse said access barriers have kept many children from receiving recommended screenings. She said the county will work with Pivital on approaches that respect families’ needs and preferences.
Seneca County Board of Supervisors Chairman Michael Enslow said the investment will help officials reach parents, understand why children miss testing and make follow-through easier.
Sandra Jee, medical director of the Western NY Lead Poisoning Resource Center, supported the project’s combination of education, outreach and incentives. She said the center’s clinical experience shows that rural families face lead exposure concerns involving housing and environmental conditions.
State Sen. Thomas O’Mara and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano also supported the award, citing the need to improve early detection and access to screening in rural communities.
Dollar Tree settlement funds the pilot
The award draws from the attorney general’s $559,250 settlement with Dollar Tree announced Jan. 23.
The attorney general’s investigation found that the retailer continued selling WanaBana cinnamon applesauce after receiving notice of an October 2023 nationwide recall involving lead contamination.
The office said Dollar Tree sold at least 226 three-pack units in New York after receiving the recall notice. The settlement required stronger recall procedures and designated the monetary penalties for lead poisoning prevention and response, along with efforts to improve access to healthy, affordable food in underserved communities.
The Yates and Seneca initiative follows other lead-related investments announced this year. In June, James directed $110,000 to Syracuse Lead Freedom House, a temporary housing project for families displaced while lead hazards are removed. In July, she announced $250,000 for a New York City program intended to train and certify approximately 720 construction workers in lead-safe practices.
For families seeking testing now, the state Health Department recommends contacting their child’s health care provider or local health department. Children should receive a blood lead test at age 1 and again at age 2, with additional testing when their provider identifies a risk of exposure.
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