Caring for the Commonwealth: Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health

Beyond Treatment: A New Approach to Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning

October 16, 2026

For families living in communities with aging housing, the threat of lead exposure can be hiding beneath layers of paint in the places children call home, in toys or products made outside of the United States, or in the uncovered soil of outdoor play areas.

Recognizing that treating the effects of lead exposure is not enough, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health launched Lead-Free Families, a comprehensive, $50 million lead poisoning prevention program designed to address the problem at its source. Lead-Free Families is the first of its kind in the United States to be 100 percent funded and led by a health system.

The prevention-focused initiative helps low-income families identify and eliminate lead hazards in their homes, while expanding childhood lead screening, supporting stronger local housing policies, and developing the workforce needed to make homes safer.

The program brings together community organizations, municipalities, health care providers, and workforce training programs to create a broader, community-wide response. By pairing resources for families with changes to housing, screening, and workforce infrastructure, the initiative is working to make lead poisoning prevention part of the community’s long-term approach to protecting children—not simply a response after exposure has occurred.

The program demonstrates how hospitals can move upstream from treating illness to preventing exposure and improving the conditions in which people live.

Here are few key takeaways: 

• Wide reach:  As of October 2026, nearly 900 homes have been made lead-safe across Lancaster County through the Lead-Free Families program. Children who entered the program with elevated blood-lead levels experienced a 46 percent decrease in blood-lead levels.
• Helping people, help themselves:  Families receive education, risk assessments, remediation, and temporary housing during the work—addressing the practical challenges of making a home safe.
• Spreading the word:  The program has conducted 5,964 individual and community outreach efforts, reaching families, including pregnant parents, with information about lead prevention.
• Joint effort:  Partnered with the City of Lancaster’s Office of Healthy Homes and community organizations, including Early Intervention, Community Action Partnership, and a local Federally Qualified Health Center, to reach families most at risk.
• Workforce component:  The program includes a workforce development component, providing free EPA-certified lead-safe work trainings over the past four years and is working to expand the local pool of qualified contractors and risk assessors.
• More good news:  The initiative helped attract approximately $4 million in additional U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding to address other housing-related health hazards, including mold, allergens, carbon monoxide, and radon.

HAP's Caring for the Commonwealth series presents impactful programs led by our members. If you have an interesting story to share, please contact Kim Yakowski.