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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 19, 2019 02:04 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Pam Iovino |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Local Lead Response Coordination |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to improve coordination of child lead poisoning responses. Lead poisoning negatively and irreversibly affects nearly every system in the body and can lead to behavioral problems and intellectual disabilities in children. Pennsylvania has the sixth-highest rate in the country for children suffering from lead poisoning. While on-going efforts focus on reducing this rate, more can be done to help ensure children suffering from lead poisoning receive timely and quality treatment and families are provided with the best methods for lead abatement. My legislation would require health care providers notify local health departments when a child has high lead levels in their blood. It would also direct the Department of Health to develop interagency protocols for a variety of related actions, such as developing lead screening tools, collecting data for federal and state reporting requirements and creating best practices for engaging with parents. We must do more to ensure each and every child in our Commonwealth dealing with lead poisoning receives appropriate care. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation that protects families and invests in our children’s future. |