Lead and Healthy Homes

Mission

The mission of the GA Healthy Homes Lead Protection and Prevention Program (GHHLPPP), in keeping with the proposed Healthy People 2020 objective, is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in Georgia.

The key aims of GHHLPPP are to:

• Transition into a comprehensive Healthy Homes Program while continuing to monitor for lead exposure and provide case management and environmental investigations lead poisoned children;
• Develop and implement a strategic plan for the state to reduce or eliminate housing‐related health hazards and to promote housing that is healthy, safe, affordable, and accessible;
• Build a consortium of strategic partners to address unsafe and/or unhealthy housing conditions caused by housing‐based hazards by leveraging resources and seeking sustainability in funding;
• Assure that follow up care and interventions are provided for vulnerable populations who are identified with housing‐related health issues;
• Expand the GHHLPPP surveillance system to include not only blood lead levels, but also environmental tests results and selected healthy homes variables;
• Consolidate existing related Department of Public Health (DPH) programs into a comprehensive Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program;
• Work with housing agencies to enforce hazard reduction in inspected housing through existing HUD hazard reduction programs, healthy homes local programs, and housing code enforcement mechanisms;
• Engage our Environmental Justice and Faith Based Partners to educate the community concerning the dangers of housing‐based hazards, including lead poisoning, and identifying vulnerable populations that may suffer the most from these health threatening sources of exposure;
• Contribute to DPH’s mission of responsible health planning and improved health outcomes for the residents of Georgia;
• Expand GHHLPPP by adding staff training in healthy homes concepts and implementing interventions and referrals in response to the detection of housing‐based health hazards;
• Reduce the overall cost of expensive medical responses to injuries and the exasperation of health conditions such as asthma by applying primary prevention principles to reduce housing‐based hazards to reduce exposure prior to needing medical interventions;
• Employ indicator-based evaluation techniques to evaluate every aspect of the program to increase efficiency and implement responsible health care planning and utilization of resources; and
• Continue to train and credential existing Environmental Health Branch and local environmental health specialists in lead inspection techniques as well as Healthy Homes Practitioner principles.

DPH Video –  Reduce the Risk: Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning in Georgia

For more information visit:

https://dph.georgia.gov/environmental-health/healthy-homes-and-lead-poisoning-prevention 

Related Sites:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Department of Natural Resources (GA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
GA Poison Control Center