Author: Kailee Curtis

Lead Screening and Response

Lead is a metal that can be found in many places, including in chips of old paint, household dust, imported toys, and, less often, water contaminated by lead pipes. Exposure to lead is bad for everyone, but young children are often most at risk. Making sure that children aren’t exposed to lead is important to their long-term health. Even low levels of lead in blood can affect children’s development.

Key Positions
Public Health Nurse
Billing and Support Staff
Community Health Promotion Specialist

Combined FTE: 0.24

Meets Public Health Standards:

ü	Michigan Public Health Code
	Michigan Local Public Health Accreditation
	Public Health Accreditation Board

Aligns with BEDHD Strategic Priorities:

A strong, healthy start in life
Protect the community from potential health hazards
Enhance involvement, engagement, and collaboration

Health Improvement Efforts:

ü	Barry Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan
ü	Eaton Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan

Services:
BEDHD routinely does lead screening on Medicaid-eligible children in the WIC program. This screening is done by a finger prick. If a child has high lead levels (above 5 micrograms/dL), his/her family will be contacted by BEDHD for additional testing, education, environmental evaluation, and follow-up.
Michigan’s Lead Safe Home Program (MDHHS)provides inspections and assistance to qualifying families, as well as rental property owners, in making their homes lead-safe for children. On average, the Lead Safe Home Program will incur $10,000 or more in work to make homes lead-safe, including items such as new windows, doors, painting and cleaning. Through collaboration between BEDHD and the Lead Safe Home Program, families can receive lead abatement and remediation to their home for little or no cost, resulting in a safer and healthier home environment for the child.

Goals:
BEDHD blood lead screening programs aim to:
Detect and eliminate lead exposures in children
Promote healthy brain development in children

Funding Sources for BEDHD Blood Lead Screenings:

Local Funding

Medicaid

Impact:
In 2017, a two-year-old child with an elevated lead level was living in one of our area’s oldest homes, built in the late 1800’s. This child was eligible for nurse home visits to help assess lead exposure. The nurse provided educational materials on lead and lead exposure, ways to reduce lead levels, and was instrumental in completing the application for the Lead Safe Home Program.