Worcester is a high risk community for childhood lead poisoning
by wcca - June 8, 2010 3:11pm
Worcester is a high risk community for childhood lead poisoning – further complicated by the high levels of lead that have been found in both candy and candy-wrappers made in Mexico, labeled in Spanish and sold in America. As you may know, 57% of Worcester’s housing was built before 1950 when paint lead levels were at their highest, and over the years often multiple coats of lead based paint were applied. To address this issue across the state, MA has adopted special regulations which require physicians to periodically screen children for lead at 9-12 months of age, and again annually at 2,3, and 4 years of age for blood lead levels. Additionally, to provide population based surveillance and allow for remediation of high risk properties, there is a provision for the mandatory reporting of lead poisoning to the state so that state officials can follow up with landlords and require abatement of properties. A number of other public health measures have been put in place regarding placing children under six in lead-free apartments and rental units, testing properties, providing informed consent during real estate transactions, reducing lead levels in emissions from cars and trucks, etc.. These measures are slowly but surely reducing lead exposure in MA children, but they have been driven by the mandatory testing and reporting of known cases.
A LEAD TEST IS A SIMPLE
FINGER STICK AND IS THE
ONLY WAY TO TELL IF YOUR
CHILD HAS LEAD POISONING
All children ages 9 months old to 6 years old should be tested
every year for lead. Children under 16 years old who have been
exposed to lead should also be tested. Parents must accompany
their children.
Free Lead Testing—No Appointment Needed!
TUESDAY June 8, 2010 from 3:00PM—6:00PM at the Helen
Bowditch Health Center at Elm Park Community School
SATURDAY June 12, 2010 from 9:00AM—12PM at Family
Health Center of Worcester’s LAB, first floor of 26 Queen Street
The Worcester Public Schools is not responsible for, or connected with, any aspect of this program, and
participation in this program is the sole decision and responsibility of the parent or guardian.
Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc.
Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care
Back ground information on this:
Project Fact Sheet
Project Title: Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care at Family Health Center of Worcester
Project Type / Location: Renovation Construction / 26 Queen Street, Worcester, MA 01610
Funding: $515,800 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2010 (Stimulus Package) through the federal Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) Capital Improvement Program for Community Health Centers. An additional $487,085 in ARRA funding was received for the purchase of laboratory, dental, radiology and health information technology (HIT) equipment.
Construction Budget: Over two years, ARRA funding will provide $414,200 for demolition, debris removal, construction / renovations; $58,300 for architectural and engineering services; $3,300 in project inspection fees; and $40,000 in project management oversight.
Contractors: Kaplan Corporation, 116 Harvard Street, Brookline MA 02446
Steffian Bradley Architects, 100 Summer Street, 9th floor, Boston, MA 02110
Timeframe: Two phases of construction will be completed by September 30, 2010.
Project Outcomes:
1.Clinical Space Renovated: 18,390 square feet of clinical space renovated and improved to serve as a Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care.
2.Jobs Created: 4.3 FTE Construction Jobs; and 2.0 FTE Health Care Jobs
3.Access to Primary Care Expanded: The new Walk-In Center will serve 2,278 new patients at Family Health Center of Worcester who currently lack access to primary care and are without a family doctor. The Walk-In Center expects to provide 9,000 medical visits each year for adult men and women, children, pregnant women and infants.
4.Connect the Uninsured to a Medical Home: The renovations will allow individuals who need a doctor and are currently uninsured, or who have lost their employment-based insurance, to receive assistance to apply for insurance, and be connected to a primary care medical home at Family Health Center of Worcester.
About Family Health Center of Worcester
Family Health Center of Worcester Inc. (FHCW), a Joint Commission accredited health care organization, provides high quality health care for over 22,000 local residents. FHCW’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of traditionally underserved and culturally diverse populations within the greater Worcester area by providing accessible, high-quality, comprehensive primary health care, dental care and social services to individuals and families regardless of the ability to pay. We do this through the practice of family medicine, behavioral health, nursing and dentistry, urgent care, medical case management, care coordination for chronic diseases, nutrition services, health education and outreach, school based health services, referral arrangements with local community services, the provision of specialized public health programs directed at the early detection and prevention of disease, the training of medical, nursing, dental and mental health residents, the employment of community residents.
FHCW is an academic health center. Since 1974, our health center has served as a training site for 12 residents (4 each year in a three year program) in our Family Practice Residency Program, in partnership with UMass Medical School (UMMS). Since the program began, we have trained more than 150 physicians to work with vulnerable populations, the majority of whom continue to serve in low-income communities today. We also operate a Post-Doctoral Psychiatry Residency, and in 2005, we expanded our educational mission in partnership with UMMS and developed a Dental Residency Program. In 2009 we established a Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program to address the need in Community Health Centers for well-prepared FNP providers to work with vulnerable populations.