 Vanderburgh County Health Department and NAACP Evansville Branch Announce Community Lead ScreeningÂ
MAY 31, 2023
(Evansville, Indiana) The Vanderburgh County Health Department and NAACP Evansville Branch, #3048-B announce our joint community health initiative, “Get the Lead Out,†an opportunity for families with at-risk children to become more informed about lead exposure and its consequences, to be screened for lead, and to receive essential information for following up on results.Â
Many in the community know of the risks from lead through exposure to paint chips or dust in houses built before 1978. But there are other ways families have been exposed. Lead poisoning has had devastating effects on children and families in Flint, Michigan, for instance, as a result of poor decision-making and systemic biases. Locally many in the Jacobsville area of Evansville have seen the Superfund effort to remove contaminated soil from yards and lots over the past decade, again a result of decisions made not by those living in those homes but by business and civic leadership decades ago. We at NAACP Evansville Branch and the Vanderburgh County Health Department take seriously our charge to elevate heath equity and environmental justice.Â
Why does lead matter? Lead is a heavy metal used for centuries for a number of purposes, including plumbing, and in the past century as a fuel-additive. Lead is relatively easy to extract and use for industrial purposes. But lead is not easy on the human body. Lead plays NO role in normal human metabolism and is, in fact, toxic. Acute lead poisoning can result in muscle pain, weakness, difficulty concentrating, abdominal pain, constipation, anemia, and seizures. Lead exposure is potentially devastating especially for young children, whose brain development can be critically harmed by the metal. It was only over the late 20th century that compelling evidence on lead’s harmful effects finally resulted in to policy change. Communities are still dealing with the legacy of lead contamination across much of the environment.Â
Why does screening for the lead matter? There are several risk factors in addition to the age of the home in which a family presently resides. Despite the various symptoms some may show from lead exposure, many children with elevated lead levels may look and act healthy. Identifying those cases and taking corrective steps may prevent long-term health consequences. While lead screening is recommended for all children under 7 years age and while Medicaid requires screening for all participating children at 1 and 2 years, there are still families who may have not had updated testing. We recognize some families may have not had the chance for well-child visits lately for many reasons, including the pandemic. This community screening event sponsored by VCHD and Evansville Branch NAACP and hosted by Zion Missionary Baptist Church is the opportunity for all families to be checked.Â
This free event will be 6 pm on 15 June 2023 at Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Advanced registration/parental consent is encouraged. Vanderburgh County Health Department staff will be there to answer additional questions you may have about potential lead exposure. On-site testing will be provided for eligible children and results will go to the parent/caregiver within minutes. The health department will notify doctors’ offices of test results and coordinate with families on follow-up for any abnormal results. NAACP Evansville Branch Health Committee will also be there to hear family’s additional concerns and connect them with the advocacy work of the NAACP.Â
Families interested in having their child tested at the event should complete the online consent form – https://www.cognitoforms.com/VCHD3/CommunityBloodLeadTestingÂ
Please address inquiries regarding this event to Thomas L. Stratton, MD (812)550-6180, tlstratton2009@yahoo.com, or Joe Gries, 812-435-2468, jbgries@vanderburghcounty.in.govÂ
