The Vanderburgh County Health Department is hosting a Back-to-School Lead Testing Clinic. The clinic will be held on July 22nd from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Vanderburgh County Health Department. Â
No Pre-registration is required, all children ages 0-6 that attend that have met state mandated lead testingÂ
guidelines will receive a backpack with school supplies. Any child 0-6 that has not met the requirement that has lead testing performed at the event will also receive the backpack and supplies. The Health Department will have staff available to check the status of the child’s lead testing history as well as staff to collect blood for and perform lead testing on site.Â
Hot dogs, chips and a drink will be available for all who attend.
Indiana Department of Health Guidance and Standards for Health Care Providers states:
- Children should receive a blood lead test between the ages of nine (9) and fifteen (15) months, or as close as reasonably possible to the patient’s appointment.
- Children should have another blood lead test between the ages of twenty-one (21) and twenty-seven (27) months, or as close as reasonably possible to the patient’s appointment.
- Any child between twenty-eight (28) and seventy-two (72) months that does not have a record of any prior blood lead test must have a blood lead test performed as soon as possible.
Lead testing is the best way to protect your child from the many serious permanent effects that lead poisoning causes. Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child’s health and cause adverse effects such as damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems- underperformance in school, lower IQ and decreased ability to pay attention as well as hearing and speech problems. The adverse effects of lead poisoning are irreversible Contact your child’s healthcare provider or attend this event to find out if your child is up to date.
For questions, you can contact the Vanderburgh County Health Department at 812-435-5662.
