Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health has announced the launch of a ten-year, $50 million community health improvement initiative aimed at eliminating childhood lead poisoning in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

The first effort of its kind in the United States to be funded and led by a health system, the Lead-Free Families initiative will identify and remediate lead hazards in at least twenty-eight hundred homes over the next decade. The program will include lead screening, testing homes for lead, in-home lead remediation, home visits with social service and healthcare support, community education and outreach, and public policy advocacy and education.

Lancaster County has the state's fourth-highest rate of lead poisoning, which can result in serious and lifelong health and developmental issues, including lower IQ, slowed growth, learning problems, behavioral issues, hyperactivity, and hearing and speech development problems. It also can cause pregnancy problems such as low birth weight; premature birth; damage to the baby's brain, kidneys, and nervous system; and miscarriage.

"Once it's in your system, you can't get it out, and the mental and physical effects are irreversible," said Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health chief clinical officer Michael R. Ripchinski. "What is most insidious about lead poisoning is that it hurts young children — either through a lead-poisoned mother or through their own exposure."

"We are committed to reaching beyond the walls of our hospital and doctor's offices to make Lancaster County the healthiest place to live, work, and play," said Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health CEO John J. Herman. "Much of our health is determined by other factors in our environment — even in our home."