The Lead-Free Promise Project

Posted by Children First on January 25, 2022

Children First is heading-up the Lead-Free Promise Project, a 47-member-strong statewide coalition that is taking lead poisoning prevention efforts statewide.

Within a few months of our launch, the Coalition released three valuable resources for parents, medical professionals, and policy makers:

1. A Resource Guide: Care Management of a Child with Elevated Blood Lead Levels, a “best seller” among primary care physicians and health care providers. This user-friendly but comprehensive resource guide takes the guesswork out of what to do if a pediatric patient has elevated lead blood levels.

The response to the Resource Guide has been so positive that we’ve held a dozen trainings for 150+ nurses, doctors, and home visitors on it.

2. A statewide and 21 county fact sheets that detail the extent of the lead poisoning crisis in that community.
3. Preventing Childhood Lead Exposure in Pennsylvania, a Fight Crime: Invest in Kids report that closely examined the consequences of lead poisoning on child development and community safety.

The work has taken off with policymakers. Pittsburgh and Norristown have both passed tough new lead poisoning prevention initiatives with Coalition support. And we’re building legislative support for a bill creating a state fund for lead remediation in homes and apartments.

The Coalition is reaching into rural counties and training parents on the importance of having their kids’ blood levels AND their homes tested for lead. What we’ve learned from these parent sessions is that most parents have never considered lead poisoning – or testing – an issue. Even more shocking is that their doctors feel the same. The common myth that lead poisoning is a thing of the past persists – there’s much more to do.