Join us for Dec. 19
Springfield Healthy Homes Meeting
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
at Springfield's Office of Housing
New Lead Regulations Take Effect this Month
The new lead regulations which went into effect on December 1st makes it easier to identify elevated blood lead levels at an earlier age. This will help help avoid many of the serious health concerns connected with lead poisoning. These c hanges are also designed to help and encourage more homeowners to address lead paint through programs like Get the Lead Out and tax credits.

Learn more:
Local Housing Authorities Settle Discrimination Complaints
The  Massachusetts Fair Housing Center  reported that public housing authorities in Northampton, West Springfield, Greenfield and Westfield have settled complaints of discrimination against Latino applicants. The complaints were filed with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2016, and were based on a series of fair housing tests showing preferential treatment of English-speaking white applicants when compared to Spanish-speaking Latino applicants.

Learn More:
Springfield's 2016 Childhood Lead Screening Progress Report

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) has developed a progress report focusing on childhood lead exposure and screening by community. Progress reports will be updated annually and mailed to all pediatric physicians in Massachusetts. Click below for the full Springfield Progress Report or to find other community's lead progress reports.

Webinar on Policies to Prevent & Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure
The lead contamination crises in Flint, Michigan and East Chicago, Indiana have shone a national spotlight on the problem of childhood lead exposure, and for years, research has demonstrated that lead adversely affects children and creates significant costs for individuals and taxpayers.

Please join the National Center for Healthy Housing, Trust for America’s Health, and the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, for a Dialogue4Health Web Forum on a new report, 10 Policies to Prevent and Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure, which found that billions in public spending could be saved by preventing and mitigating the effects of lead poisoning.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern
Springfield has the highest risk for childhood lead poisoning in Massachusetts.
Find out how you can protect your family!
Get Your Child Tested
Babies as early as nine to 12 months should be tested for lead blood poisoning by their pediatrician and then again at ages 2 and 3.

In December, there will be changes in lead regulations. Here are important changes you should know:

  • The level of concern has dropped to 5.
  • The definition of poisoning has dropped to 10.
  • Any amount of lead is harmful.

Helpful Resources:
Get Your Home Tested
If a house was built before 1978, it's very likely to contain lead paint.

Lead paint can break down over time due to age, poor maintenance, or household repairs. Chipping, peeling flaking or deteriorated lead-based paint creates lead dust, which when ingested or inhaled can cause serious health consequences.

REMEMBER: SANDING OR SCRAPING LEAD PAINT CAN MAKE DANGEROUS DUST AND SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED BY A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL .

Find services and resources to address lead paint
Get the Facts!
We're Now on Facebook!
Visit Springfield Healthy Homes Collaboration's new Facebook page and like us to stay up-to-date with current news!
 
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