Lead testing program, Milwaukee kids' health the focus

MILWAUKEE - Lead testing at Milwaukee's MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary on Saturday, March 25 was part of a new program to make sure kids stay healthy.

The sanctuary typically serves the 53206 ZIP code – where the city's lead crisis is a particularly serious problem.

Katie Doss, the sanctuary's lead program coordinator, said making sure kids are lead-free is an important part of making sure they succeed.

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"It's very important to give lead awareness in the neighborhood. It gives the children an opportunity to be able to function properly in school," said Doss. "A lot of times, children have a tendency to be able to not function correctly due to the fact of lead."

In addition to on-site testing, the organization will assist in follow-up monitoring for families with children who tested positive for elevated lead levels.

Saturday's testing was thanks to a partnership between MacCanon Brown and Children's Wisconsin.