OPA Live! Lead Poisoning Prevention and Best Practices for Communities

Host Hanna Beightley takes over the OPA Instagram account for a live conversation with guest Amanda Reddy.

Lead Poisoning Prevention and Best Practices for Communities

During this session, Women for a Healthy Environment and National Center for Healthy Housing will be discussing lead poisoning as a public health issue, primary prevention policies and best practices that cities and municipalities can implement, and resources that are available for families and communities. Lead is a neurotoxin that affects nearly every system in the body, including the brain and nervous system. It is critical to address lead exposure proactively. Hanna and Amanda will spend time looking at this issue specifically in Allegheny County and understanding what other cities have done to be proactive.

About Hanna Beightley

MPH, CHES; Healthy Homes Coordinator, Women for a Healthy Environment

Hanna Beightley graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master’s in Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences in 2019. She joined WHE as the Lead Coalition Coordinator working to establish a county-wide initiative to address childhood lead exposure. For the past two years she has been the Healthy Homes Coordinator for WHE where she works with families and community stakeholders to address environmental exposures in the home and advocates for policy to protect children and families from the dangers of poor housing. Focusing on environmental health education, awareness, resource navigation, and technical assistance, Hanna is committed to creating safe and healthy spaces throughout the community.

About Amanda Reddy

MS; Executive Director, National Center for Healthy Housing

Amanda Reddy is the Executive Director of the National Center for Healthy Housing, an organization founded on the premise that better housing can be a powerful platform for better health. Since joining the organization in 2012, she has advanced numerous initiatives, including those related to healthcare financing of healthy homes services, training and TA to support the launch and growth of sustainable healthy homes programs, and the development of indicators for the HUD Healthy Communities Index. Prior to NCHH, Ms. Reddy was a research scientist with the New York State Department of Health, where she provided program evaluation, management, and technical support for the Asthma Control, Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention, Healthy Neighborhoods, and Healthy Home Environments for New Yorkers with Asthma programs. Ms. Reddy holds an MS in environmental health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BA in neuroscience from Mount Holyoke College.