LEWISTON — Healthy Androscoggin recently announced that it received a contract from Maine’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund and will continue its efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in Lewiston and Auburn.

The contract provides resources for Healthy Androscoggin to go out into the community to protect the children most at risk for lead poisoning. Healthy Androscoggin’s prevention activities are focused on landlords who own old buildings as well as the parents of young children who live in those older rental units.

“We’ve made a lot of progress since we won our first lead poisoning prevention contract in 2009,” said Erin Guay, manager at Healthy Androscoggin. “In the beginning, we were building our program and assessing the community’s needs. Now, we are going into units with landlords, testing for lead dust and teaching them how to deal with lead paint – before a child is poisoned.”

To date, Healthy Androscoggin’s Landlord Lead Assistance Program, in partnership with the cities of Lewiston and Auburn’s Housing and Urban Development grant, have tested 27 units for lead dust and has found 17 units with lead hazards. In addition to lead dust testing, Healthy Androscoggin will also use the contract funds to continue the Healthy Homes Healthy Families classes.

Anyone interested in Healthy Androscoggin’s lead poisoning prevention services, including free lead dust testing for rental units, may call 795-5990 or go to www.healthyandroscoggin.org for more information.

Copy the Story Link