NewVue in Second Year as Administrator for Lead Prevention Program

One of the ways NewVue Communities builds strong and healthy neighborhoods is by helping families impacted by lead poisoning.

Housing with lead paint poses a serious health threat, especially to children 6 years old and younger. Lead exposure risks can include damage to the brain and nervous system, slower growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems.

Our resources help families make sure their home is safe and if necessary, take the necessary steps to ensure they are living in a lead-free home.

As the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) administrator for the North Central Region, NewVue provides comprehensive case management for children and families impacted by lead paint poisoning.

With many homes in our communities built before 1978, the potential for lead poisoning is a significant health concern that we try to address with both families and landlords.

“We seek to provide them with information and resources so that they can learn how lead poisoning is dangerous, help them identify the source of the lead poisoning, create a healthy living situation that complies with the law and link them to other resources to create a healthy family,’’ said Yenny Sanchez, a CLPPP community health worker.

Building relationships is an important part of her job because many families and landlords are scared, angry or uncertain about their options.

“As the community health worker, I conduct home visits, complete various assessment tools to determine how a child might be poisoned, discuss ways to reduce lead exposure, and make service referrals both to de-lead a home and other services that the household might need,’’ she said.

In one recent case, Yenny visited a family to help identify the source of lead after a child tested with very high levels. The source was not immediately clear because the home was not built before 1978. But after talking to the parents, Yenny discovered that the child was at her grandparents’ house during the week and that home was the likely source.

“In educating this family about lead, they immediately stopped taking their daughter to grandparent’s and the child’s levels decreased by a lot,’’ she said. “Now we have a healthy child and lead exposure was identified.”

Apart from providing case management to the families that have been referred to our agency, NewVue also provides resources for the communities we serve.  Prevention of lead poisoning is an equally strong component of our outreach and education plan.

Our Housing Services Department is the local rehab agency offering the “Get the Lead Out” program through MassHousing, which helps households access 0% deferred loans to remove lead from their homes. Get the Lead Out is one of the main referral sources for CLPPP families who need to de-lead their homes.