A Legacy of Advocacy: Honoring Dr. Brian Bouchard’s Impact on Lead Poisoning Prevention in Cleveland

Dr. Brian Bouchard recently concluded his tenure at Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP) and has since relocated from Cleveland, leaving behind a legacy defined by unwavering advocacy, data-driven care, and community-centered leadership. During his time at NFP, Dr. Bouchard helped elevate the organization as one of Cleveland’s leading voices in lead screening and prevention – an effort deeply rooted in both medical urgency and social justice. He also lent his expertise to Better Health Partnership’s Children’s Health Leadership Team.  

Reflecting on his work, Dr. Bouchard shared: “I'm most proud of NFP remaining involved with and speaking up with much larger clinical practices regarding lead screening and poisoning prevention. NFP's patients are poisoned at much higher rates than the city's average or other health systems. I'm proud of NFP's advocacy as lead poisoning is an environmental hazard and consequent disease of poverty that can only be fully prevented through housing and environmental policy and change.”

He also emphasized the importance of internal efforts: “I'm proud of NFP’s internal work to be able to much more accurately highlight the scope of our patients' poisoning as well as relentless efforts on the part of many staff to continue improving NFP's screening performance every day. NFP works to make lead education and screening a routine and expected part of pediatric practice with all staff.”

Looking ahead, Dr. Bouchard expressed hope for continued progress: “At the clinical level, I hope that practices can see the dire and unique problem of lead poisoning in Cleveland and agree to universal, frequent testing beyond national guidelines designed for much lower risk population areas. I hope that with more accurate data and regional collaboration, Cleveland can move beyond disputing just how bad the problem is and focus on prevention with full remediation. The solutions are not easy and are very expensive, but I hope that Cleveland will not allow newcomers and its poorest residents to continue living in homes that are poisoning children and stunting the development of a generation.”

Dr. Melanie Golembiewski, Chief Medical Officer at NFP, reflected on Dr. Bouchard’s influence: “Dr. Bouchard has undoubtedly shaped how NFP approaches lead testing and prevention. He dedicated time to reviewing best practices, building systems in our EMR to better support screening and follow-up, and consistently reminded clinical teams to stay focused on lead poisoning as a systemic environmental hazard that disproportionately impacts our patients.”

She highlighted the collaborative momentum he inspired: “This focus brought aligned momentum from multiple partners internally—nursing, social work, medical assistants, and providers. He supported advocacy through data analysis showing clear patterns that lead poisoning remains both a medical and social justice issue demanding stronger data, universal screening, and constant vigilance from the broader partner perspective.”

Looking to the future, Dr. Golembiewski affirmed NFP’s commitment: “Dr. Bouchard leaves behind a team approach and framework, both in education to our teams but also systems-based workflows that will allow NFP to continue this work. Our teams are committed to continuing universal, frequent testing, and we are strengthening our internal processes to ensure consistent follow-through.”

She added: “Just as importantly, we will continue highlighting the disparities our patients face and use that data to push for systemic change in housing and environmental policy when we are able. Our continued involvement with advocacy efforts will keep our group connected to all the other amazing community partners who have a piece of the puzzle in this work.”

Dr. Bouchard’s departure marks the end of a meaningful chapter – but the systems, values, and momentum he helped build will continue to shape NFP’s mission and Cleveland’s public health landscape for years to come.