Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health recently launched Lead-Free Families, a 10-year community health improvement initiative aimed at eliminating childhood lead poisoning in Lancaster County.
Lead-Free Families will identify and work to remediate lead hazards in at least 2,800 Lancaster County homes over the next decade. With a $50 million investment by LG Health, the program is the first of its kind in the U.S. to be initially funded and led by a health system.
Lead poisoning is a significant health issue among children in Lancaster County, which has a large number of homes built before 1978, when the federal government banned the use of lead-based paint in consumer products. Pennsylvania has one of the highest lead-poisoning rates in the nation, with Lancaster County the fourth-highest in the state.
Lead poisoning can result in serious and lifelong health and developmental issues, including lower IQ, slowed growth, learning problems, behavioral issues, hyperactivity, and hearing and speech development problems. It can also cause pregnancy problems, including low birth weight; premature birth; damage to the baby’s brain, kidneys and nervous system; and even miscarriage.
“There is no cure for lead poisoning. Once it’s in your system, you can’t get it out, and the mental and physical effects are irreversible,” said chief clinical officer Michael R. Ripchinski, MD. “Pregnant women and children age 6 and younger are most at risk because a child’s brain is still developing during these formative years.”
LG Health will work with local governments, school districts and other community partners to educate, screen and treat families.
“This disease may not be curable, but we know it is 100 percent preventable,” said Carolyn Scanlan, chairperson of the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Board of Trustees.
For more information on Lead-Free Families, or to apply for the program, visit LeadFreeFamilies.org, or call 717-544-LEAD (5323).