It is estimated that some 91,000 homes in Lancaster County have lead hazards, often from lead-based paint. Lead poisoning does not always have obvious symptoms and has no cure, which means that preventing young children’s exposure is crucial. The health risks of lead include damage to the brain including lifelong learning disabilities and behavioral problems.  

When the Witmers’ home actually did test positive for lead, in the spring of 2024 they became one of the latest families to benefit from the initiative’s investment toward eliminating childhood lead poisoning in Lancaster County, Pa. Funded by $50 million from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and run in partnership with the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Lead-Free Families is the first such program in the United States to be 100-percent funded and led by a health system. 

Since the program’s launch in 2021, Lead-Free Families set a goal of identifying and remediating lead hazards in at least 2,800 Lancaster County homes over 10 years, while also providing community education and support services for families.  

In addition to in-home lead testing and removal, Lead-Free Families focuses on improved screening for children and pregnant women, community education, and public policy advocacy. The LFF team also manages the Healthy Homes Program, a federally funded initiative that addresses many environment-related childhood diseases and injuries in a coordinated way. The program focuses on concerns including mold, lead, allergens, asthma, carbon monoxide, home safety, pesticides, and radon.