Massachusetts

Expanding Lead Poisoning Prevention Services in Rural Massachusetts Through Community Partnership

Massachusetts boasts one of the highest childhood blood lead screening rates in the nation. However, in its rural communities, average screening rates of 51% fell well below the state average of 73%. More alarming, the prevalence of higher blood lead levels in these communities is double the statewide rate. Compounding the problem, full case management services through the Massachusetts Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (MA CLPPP) are only triggered at blood lead levels of 10 µg/dL or higher, leaving children with levels between 5 and 9 µg/dL without structured follow-up support.

To bridge this gap, MA CLPPP partnered in September 2023 with the Montachusett Public Health Network (MPHN), which serves 12 rural and small urban communities, to pilot an expanded set of case management services for children with blood lead levels between 5 and 9 µg/dL. Through this partnership, MPHN community health workers offered phone counseling to affected families with interpreter services available. In addition, MA CLPPP provided clinical care coordination, electronic notifications to physicians, re-test monitoring, and educational letters outlining lead hazard reduction steps and home inspection resources.

The results have been promising. Of the 69 families offered phone counseling, 93% accepted services. Screening rates in 10 of the 12 pilot towns surpassed even pre-pandemic levels, rising from an average of 66% to 70%, with the greatest gains in the most rural communities. Early data also suggests a stabilization or reduction in higher blood lead levels in all but one pilot town, with preliminary 2025 data pointing to further progress. MA CLPPP views this cost-effective, community-driven model as a scalable blueprint for statewide expansion.