By Mitierra Johnson, Environmental Health Research Assistant
Porcha Small is a Program Specialist for Childcare and Lead at the Cumberland County Department of Public Health. In this position, Porcha inspects childcare centers, trains current staff on childcare authorizations, conducts lead investigations with assistance from a regional specialist, and conducts Healthy Homes assessments by referral.
Porcha earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Morris College in South Carolina. One of her favorite things about environmental health is lead poisoning prevention and working with people from different backgrounds.
“Making sure children are safe in their environment is top a priority,” notes Porcha.
Before accepting her position with Cumberland County, she wasn’t familiar with environmental health, and she worked as a detention officer, and then later became a deputy sheriff.
Porcha learned about the NC Lead and Healthy Homes Task Force when she started working in for Cumberland County, and she has been actively attending meetings since 2018. She loves learning about the lead poisoning prevention work that is been done throughout the state.
The most exciting aspect of her job is being out in the community and preparing daycares for state licensure. One the most challenging aspects of Porcha’s job is trying to figure out how to bring people into environmental health and public service. In her leisure time, Porcha enjoys playing soccer and board games with her family. She also enjoys watching football.