News

Approximately 8,000 children in Pennsylvania are poisoned by lead every year. The Thriving PA campaign wants to change that.

Lead Poisoning in Pennsylvania

According to Colleen McCauley, Health Policy Director at Public Citizens for Children and Youth, there are 8,000 children in Pennsylvania who are poisoned by lead each year. Exposure to high levels of lead may lead to negative health and developmental outcomes, including:

• • damage to the brain and nervous system,
• • slowed growth and development,
• • learning and behavior challenges, and
• • hearing and speech problems.

Lead poisoning is also a racial equity issue. Five times more Black children and two times more Hispanic children are poisoned by lead than White children in Pennsylvania. Lead poisoning is 100 percent preventable, and the Thriving PA campaign is looking to end it in the state.

What is the Thriving PA campaign?

The campaign seeks to:

• • secure a dedicated pot of state money to get lead out of kid’s homes,
• • screen more kids for lead, and
• • improve services for children who are poisoned by lead.

The campaign also focuses on perinatal health, children’s health insurance, prenatal nutrition, and children’s nutrition. To learn more, watch the video below.

Access a Comprehensive Guide

The Lead-Free Promise Project released a comprehensive guide for Pennsylvania health care providers and other child-serving professionals with critical follow-up resources for children poisoned by lead. The guide includes crucial information on:

• • how to get free home lead inspections for children with Medicaid and CHIP,
• • connecting low-income families with free programs,
• • assisting higher-income families with lead paint removal, and
• • how to access care management staff in Medicaid and CHIP health plans.

Download the full guide.

More Information

For more information, visit the Thriving PA website. For more news, visit our news page.