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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Colleen M. McCauley, RN, BSN, Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth, 7 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103, 215-563-5848 ext. 33, colleenmccauley@hotmail.com and Richard E Tobin, MS, MPA, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 2100 W Girard Ave, PNH #3, Philadelphia, PA 19130.
Lead poisoning is the leading environmental health problem among children in the United States afflicting nearly one million children across the country. The prevalence of poisoning in urban areas like Philadelphia is particularly high due to the stock of older deteriorated housing and the number of families living in poverty. Secondary prevention efforts aimed at treating children once they have been poisoned consume the majority of resources in Philadelphia and in communities throughout the nation. In order to eradicate lead poisoning in eight years as outlined in Healthy People 2010, greater human and financial resources must to be devoted to primary prevention initiatives. In 2001, Philadelphia made a commitment to prevent newborns from ever being poisoned. Capitalizing on an extensive network of home visiting programs targeting 1500 pregnant women and women of child bearing age, several non-profit and governmental agencies worked together to create an ambitious program that integrates lead poisoning prevention education and home lead dust wipe testing into home visiting protocols. When a hazardous amount of lead is found in a home, the city takes proactive measures to reduce the lead exposures thus protecting the newborn and any younger siblings. Furthermore, this initiative provides the opportunity to quantify the extent of the problem in this population and produce data for advocacy efforts to raise public awareness and funding. This presentation describes the impact of lead poisoning in Philadelphia, an evaluation of the primary prevention program, and implications for program replication and advocacy in other metropolitan areas.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Environmental Health, Primary Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.