Coordinating Lead Poisoning Prevention Efforts
The prevention specialist’s primary responsibility is for the development, implementation and evaluation of the community-wide lead hazard prevention and intervention program. Strategies involved in this problem include improving lead testing in children, educating families living in target neighborhoods and improving affected housing.
Coordinating a strategy to improve lead testing among children involves the following:
- Working with community organizations and medical providers to increase screening of children in high risk neighborhoods.
- Encouraging the integration of lead screening with other preventative health services for children.
- Promoting training of medical personnel on CDC guidelines for the treatment and follow-up of lead-affected children.
- Developing and implementing a database of children with EBL to include medical, educational, nutritional and environmental health interventions.
- Evaluating data to determine effectiveness of medical and environmental health interventions on each child’s EBL level.
Coordinating lead education efforts includes the following tasks:
- Developing partnerships with daycare centers, schools, churches, and neighborhood organizations in order to institutionalize family education initiatives on the hazards and ways to avoid lead exposure.
- Developing community health education programs aimed at encouraging parents to seek lead screening for their children.
- Training medical personnel on the CDC guidelines for treatment and follow up of lead affected children.
Encouraging lead hazard control and intervention includes the following:
- Working with code enforcement officials to improve the number and quality of inspections of lead hazards in houses, particularly in high risk neighborhoods.
- Contacting local contractors to encourage participation in free training.
- Work with retailers to solicit support for reduced cost materials for at-risk families.
