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Lead Poisoning Treatment and Prevention Program

Services

The LPTPP was specifically established to combat the nation's number-one environmental childhood disease - lead poisoning. All of the skilled professionals and resources your family needs are conveniently located under one roof in the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM):

  • Nationally recognized clinicians who provide comprehensive medical care and related assistance.
  • Knowledgeable social workers who can help you with the support services and referrals lead-poisoned children often need.
  • Housing and environmental experts to help locate the source of your child's lead poisoning. These experts provide housing court advocacy and work with the Department of Health to arrange for and monitor home testing, abatement and cleanup.
  • On-site lead laboratory for fast and accurate blood lead results.
  • New, ultra-modern pediatric floors for patients who require hospitalization for chelation therapy. The rooms on these floors have sleeping facilities for parents who wish to stay with their children during treatment.

A Safe, Caring Environment for Treatment and Recovery

A multidisciplinary team of professionals provides lead-related expertise in clinical care, research, social services, environmental investigation and public advocacy. Services we provide:

Information services:

  • Government regulations/statistics
  • Sources of lead poisoning
  • Prevention
  • Screening protocols
  • Health effects of lead poisoning
  • Management plans
  • Temporary precautions
  • Abatement
  • New issues/recent research
  • Setting up a lead program/clinic
  • Temporary lead-safe housing
  • Workshops and community outreach
  • Patient services:

    • Lead poisoning treatment and management*
    • In-hospital laboratory for rapid blood lead analysis and screening**
    • Assistance with housing and lead-abatement issues
    • Parent counseling
    • Referrals to education, psychology and development services
    • "Safe House" residential facility for temporary transitional housing while primary residence is being made lead-safe
    • Weekly lead clinic (blood leads >5 ug/dL)
    • Referrals for developmental assessments

    * We provide a combination of educational, environmental, nutritional and medical interventions, including in-hospital chelation therapy according to the degree of lead poisoning.

    ** The lab processes about 50,000 samples annually by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. It participates successfully in the New York State and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proficiency testing programs and is also a CDC reference laboratory.

    Lead Poisoning Treatment and Prevention Program