Children’s Health

Dorchester County Health Department
Asthma and Lead Poisoning Prevention

Does your child have asthma or lead poisoning?

If so, a free state program may help. Maryland offers free visits to help make your home healthier. We can assist with helping you remove lead from your house and prevent asthma attacks in your children.

You are eligible for free home visiting services if:

  • Your child has lead poisoning, has frequent asthma attacks, or both; AND
  • Your child is 18 years old or younger and lives in Dorchester County; AND
  • Your child gets Medicaid/MCHP or qualifies for Medicaid/MCHP

Help for Your Child’s Asthma and Lead Safety

Our program partners with families to keep children safe from lead and to help children with asthma breathe easier.

We are here to support you and can:

  • Provide one-on-one help to guide you and connect your child to medical care.
  • Visit you at home (if you choose) to share tips for making your home healthier.
  • Offer health education to help you manage your child’s asthma and prevent lead exposure.
  • Provide lead testing for your child. (Please note: an appointment and a doctor’s order are required).

Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Amber Bell, RN, at (410) 901-8163.

Click here to download the program flyer. (English, PDF, 199 KB)

Click here to download the program flyer. (Spanish, PDF, 190 KB)

Did you know?

  • LEAD: Lead can hurt your child’s development and growth, and its effects can last a long time. Lead can get into your child from paint and other things in and around your home.
  • ASTHMA: Asthma attacks are a big reason for missed school days and missed work days for parents. Asthma attacks can happen because of things in the home, like dust, pests, mold, pets, and tobacco smoke.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic (long term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.

Asthma causes absence from school, increased medical costs, irreversible lung damage without treatment, and death.

Lead Poisoning 

Lead is a naturally occurring element and can be found in the air, the soil, the water, and even inside of homes. Lead is particularly dangerous to children because their bodies absorb more lead than adults do and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.

Learn more about sources of lead exposure in the home, at school, in products, in drinking water, air, soil, and dust at the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead website. 

Additional Information & Resources:

Dorchester County Health Department
Safe Sleep for Infants

Babies that are put to sleep in an unsafe sleep environment are at risk of dying from a sleep-related death every time they go to sleep. Babies die every year from being placed in adult beds, on couches, in car seats, and other unapproved surfaces when they go to sleep.

These deaths are preventable when parents, grandparents, and other caregivers make sure to put their babies to sleep:

  • Alone
  • On Their Back
  • In a Crib
  • In a Smoke-Free Environment

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that we share our rooms and not our beds until our babies are one year of age. By following these simple steps, we can protect our babies and keep them safe while they sleep.  

DHCD Services: 

  • Safe Sleep training for organizations, childcare centers, or community groups that interact with pregnant women, mothers with infants under 1 year of age, or care for infants under 1 year of age.
  • Individual education and outreach

Educational Materials and Resources for New Parents:

Dorchester County Health Department
Childhood Vaccinations

Getting your child vaccinated against common, serious illnesses is one of the best things you can do to make sure your child grows up healthy. We operate a childhood vaccination program that can help you make sure your child is protected. 

Vaccinations are by appointment only. For more information, please contact Ashlea Foxwell, RN, or Michelle Hughes, RN, at 410-228-3223.