Assignment task:
The Case Study: A 3-year-old boy is living with his parents in a house being renovated in an older section of town. The parents are doing the work themselves, slowly over time, due to financial constraints. The father is using a heat gun and scraping to remove the old paint. The boy is brought to the county health department with gastric upset and behavior changes that have persisted for several weeks. Billy's parents report that they have been renovating their home to remove lead paint. They were discouraged from routinely testing their child because their insurance does not cover testing, and they could not find information on where to have the tests done. Their concern has heightened with Billy's persistent symptoms. The house has not been tested for lead and the parents learned how to remove lead from the home watching YouTube videos. You test the level of lead in Billy's blood and find it to be 45 μg/dL. You research lead poisoning and discover that children are at greater risk because they absorb lead into the central nervous system. You also find that chronic lead poisoning may have long-term effects, such as developmental delays and impaired learning ability. You refer Billy to his primary-care physician. On further investigation, you find that Billy's home was built before 1950 and is still under renovation. The sanitarian tests the interior paint and finds a high lead content. Ample amounts of sawdust from sanding are noted in various rooms of the home. Initial Post In your original post, discuss the following: What is the vulnerable population affected in this case study? What are the social determinants of health influencing this situation? What would you include in an assessment of this situation as a public health nurse working in the health department? What prevention strategies would you use to resolve this issue? What action steps need to be taken with this family now? What long-term treatment and follow-up are needed in the home and with the family members? What community-wide (population) actions can be taken by the public health nurse and health department to inform the community about lead poisoning?