Indiana State University Newsroom

The Indiana State University Sycamore Nursing Center will offer free lead screenings for area children ages six months to six years old.

The screenings will be available Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Locust Street IGA at 1140 Locust St. in Terre Haute.

ISU students offer this service in an effort to inform parents and keep children safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 310,000 children in the United States have elevated blood lead levels. Left unchecked, those levels can result in decreased IQ, academic failure, and behavioral problems in children. Blood tests are the key to prevention.

At the screening event, information about the risks of lead poisoning will be available for parents. Nursing students will be available to talk with parents about what a child's blood lead level means.

Hot dogs, chips and drinks for children will be provided by event co-sponsor Locust Street IGA. No advance registration is required to participate in the blood screening event. Test results will available for parents no later than Nov. 30.

The Sycamore Nursing Center was founded in 1981 to offer not only service to the community but also clinical learning experiences for the Indiana State University School of Nursing, Health, and Human Services Baccalaureate Nursing Program.

It is an academic nursing center that is a charter member of the National League for Nursing Council of Nursing Centers. The center offers not only comprehensive health assessments including histories and physical examinations to all ages but also free, age appropriate immunizations for children 1 month to 18 years of age.

For more information, contact Leslie Krockenberger of the Sycamore Nursing Center, ISU College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services at 812-237-3696 or leslie.krockenberger@indstate.edu.

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Contact: Leslie Krockenberger, Sycamore Nursing Center, ISU College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services at 812-237-3696 or leslie.krockenberger@indstate.edu.

Writer: Rachel Wedding McClelland, assistant director of media relations, Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University at 812-237-3790 or rachel.mcclelland@indstate.edu.