Sign up for testing via our online scheduler. Share your school contact person, as well as the number of children in first grade or younger. Our office will prepare forms in English and Spanish, based on the information you provide, and confirm your requested test date, or provide an alternative date if necessary.
Get Started
Ready to get the lead out? The Marion County Public Health Department created missionunleaded.org to raise awareness about the dangers of lead in the home and share ways to prevent lead exposure, including free lead testing. Use this toolkit to spread the word.
Let’s get the lead out together.
Contact UsHelp your community live lead-free. Take the first step to building a community without lead poisoning. Use these tools to spread the word about the dangers of lead poisoning and how to live lead-free. Contact the Marion County Health Department to schedule testing for lead exposure and get help.
Tools to build awareness of lead poisoning
LIVE LEAD-FREE
The mission of the Marion Marion County Public Health Department Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is (1) to decrease the number of lead-exposed children through education and primary prevention measures and (2) reduce negative health outcomes for lead-exposed children through early identification and intervention measures.
Lead can be found in paint and dust in homes built before 1978, and the older housing stock in Marion County, Indiana, increases the risk of lead poisoning for children. To protect children and adults from lead exposure, our Lead Poisoning Prevention Program identifies and targets high-risk areas within Marion County and conducts outreach to school and child-care facilities within those areas.
Our program partners with several local organizations:
The Mission Unleaded website supports our Lead Poisoning Prevention Program by providing helpful tips and tools about lead testing and ways to prevent lead exposure. It’s a resource that helps our partners, clients and the community schedule blood lead testing and learn about health hazards associated with childhood exposure to lead, as well as remediation. We hope that community organizations will use the site to schedule blood lead testing for children in their care and learn about resources to address the risks of lead exposure.
The Mission Unleaded app uses gamification to help people identify lead hazards typically found in and around the home. It’s available in three languages: English, Spanish and Burmese. Download the app via the Apple Store or Google Play.
Parents who would like to request free testing for their children first grade and younger should contact us, and schools and other facilities can schedule directly via the Mission Unleaded website. Our lead testing case manager will get in touch within three business days to schedule testing.
Learn more about resources, blood testing and home risk assessments in Marion County, Indiana.
Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
3901 Meadows Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46205
317.221.2155
MARIONHEALTH.ORG
Use these logos to promote the Mission Unleaded website.
Build awareness about lead poisoning in your community. Create a DIY yard sign using this artwork. You also can use it to make posters or fliers!
Meet our Lead Poisoning Prevention Program coordinator A Q + A with Kristen Milbrath
Kristen Milbrath leads the clinical team for the Marion County Public Health Department’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. She holds a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor’s degree in health and rehabilitation sciences from Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and has worked in the pharmacy field and for the American Red Cross. We asked Kristen to share perspective on her quest to help people in Marion County, Indiana, live lead-free.
How are you making an impact on preventing lead poisoning? If people don’t realize they should be getting tested for something, odds are they aren’t going to be tested. That’s why we’re raising awareness. It’s our goal to get more children tested for increased blood lead levels. If we can catch lead exposure early and provide families with the necessary education, we hope to prevent long-term impairments. We’d also like to get more schools involved in having children tested for lead. We hope that schools, preschools and community organizations will use the Mission Unleaded site to schedule blood lead testing for children in their care and learn about resources to address the risks of lead exposure.
Why are you passionate about helping people live lead-free? I’ve been passionate about helping people for as long as I can remember. The more I’ve learned about the dangers of lead poisoning, the more passionate I’ve become about the need for testing and prevention. Lead primarily impacts children, who are especially vulnerable. Children don’t really have a say in where they live, and they can’t understand the lifelong consequences of lead exposure. That’s why we need to do all we can to reach the people who can help keep children safe.
Tell us about your goals. In a nutshell, I’d like to help more people understand what lead abatement is so they can be sure to take care of lead properly. Our goals are to help our partners, clients and the community:
The tips, tools and resources on the Mission Unleaded website can help with that. So can the Mission Unleaded app. (You can download the app via the Apple Store or Google Play.) We hope that sharing this information in an engaging way on the Mission Unleaded website and app will help us reach more people and organizations so we can encourage them to live lead-free.
How can people support Mission Unleaded? Get the word out! Let people know about the Mission Unleaded website. You can also tell people who may be at risk or have questions about potential lead exposure to contact us.
Tell us a bit about you. I was born in Munster, Indiana, which is 30 miles south of Chicago, and grew up in Dyer, Indiana, which is considered a southeastern Chicago suburb, though it feels like a small town. I moved to Indianapolis in 2012 when I began my undergraduate career at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). When I’m not at work keeping Marion County lead-free, I enjoy reading books, watching movies and TV shows, listening to podcasts and music, traveling and spending time with my family.
Contact Kristen at:
kmilbrath@marionhealth.org
317-221-3093
At the Marion County Public Health Department, protecting children from lead is an important part of our mission. We’re committed to keeping kids healthy and safe so they can thrive at school, at home, and in life. And because we know that no amount of lead is safe for children, we offer free lead testing to kids in first grade and younger. Learn more about free lead testing at your school or child-care facility. SEND A MESSAGE
Marion County Public Health Department
3901 Meadows Drive Indianapolis, IN 46205
317.221.2155
HealthDept@MarionHealth.org
Business Hours:
Monday – Friday,
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Use these shareable graphics and content to create posts to inspire and encourage others to get the word out about Mission Unleaded. The best messages come from the heart, so feel free to personalize and share your own pictures and stories. Join the movement by adding #MissionUnleaded to your posts.
SOCIAL GRAPHICS. Download and share these graphics on social media outlets such as Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. You also can use them for fliers and other promotions to build awareness.
SAMPLE POST CONTENT. Copy and paste these posts to create your own campaign. Personalize your posts by adding your own pictures and experiences.
Get the lead out. Children in first grade or younger are at the greatest risk for lead exposure. #MissionUnleaded offers free testing in your school or child-care facility.
Keep kids safe. Call 317.221.2155. missionunleaded.org
#MissionUnleaded
Get kids tested for lead. Fewer than 12% of Marion County kids get tested for lead exposure. Without diagnosis, children with elevated blood lead levels are at risk of anemia and slowed growth, among other adverse health outcomes. Get them tested! Call 317.221.2155. missionunleaded.org
#MissionUnleaded
Keep kids lead free. #MissionUnleaded supports healthy cognitive development with free blood testing for kids under 7 in Marion County. Get them tested! Call 317.221.2155. missionunleaded.org
#MissionUnleaded
HASHTAGS. Don’t forget to add a hashtag to your posts. Here’s a selection of hashtags to consider.