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Health commissioner: HUD lead grant, 157 referrals and plans for volunteer clinic
Summary
Dr. Kristen B. Mley told council the Bureau of Health has recorded 157 referrals to its Together for Chester program, received a HUD lead grant that will create four full-time positions, and is exploring a volunteer-based clinic and nurse-practitioner partnerships to expand primary care access.
Dr. Kristen B. Mley, Chester’s health commissioner, briefed the City Council on March 11 about ongoing public-health efforts to connect residents to care and to roll out a HUD-funded lead program.
Mley said the city’s Together for Chester referral initiative has produced 157 referrals since it began last May, and staff are following up to ensure those people were linked to primary- or specialty-care providers. "One hundred fifty-seven people have been connected to providers," she said, adding the connections range from primary care to specialty referrals depending on need.
She reported the city received the final award letter from HUD for a lead program; onboarding is complete and the grant will fund four full-time positions to be hired over the next six to eight months. Mley also said the 2023 lead-ordinance implementation will begin in 2027 and encouraged landlords to use existing Delaware County and HUD-funded resources for inspections and remediation rather than waiting for the city program to begin.
Mley warned residents that CRO-held medical records access will end next year and urged parents to secure immunization records needed for school. She also said the health bureau is in preliminary discussions about a volunteer-run medical clinic and has been approached by nurse practitioners from Camden who need affordable space; the department connected them with potential sites including Chester Housing Authority space.
Mley said the bureau is supporting policy measures beyond the city, including backing Philadelphia’s "Stop Trashing Our Air" effort and helping advance Pennsylvania House Bill 2041 to require two lead tests for children before age two.
Emma, a social-work intern, described hands-on casework helping residents access food, utilities, transportation and medical services.
Next steps: HUD-funded positions will be recruited and onboarded; the health bureau will continue follow-up on Together for Chester referrals and pursue clinic-space options for nurse-practitioner partners.
