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Paul Haan, Get the
Lead Out!, August 10, 2005 Issue #6
In this Newsletter:
1) City of Grand Rapids Passes New Lead Ordinances
2) State Commission Holds Public Hearing on Lead
3) Rep. Sak Advocates for State Lead Funding
4) CDC Releases New Guidelines for Preventing Lead Poisoning in
Refugee Children
5) Michigan Family Resources Awarded EPA Funding for Education
6) Training Opportunities
- Health and Human Service Provider Training
- Lead Safe Work Practices
7) Home Repair Services Hires New Lead Educator
8) Next Get the Lead Out! Collaborative meeting
1) City of Grand Rapids Passes New Lead Ordinances
Mayor George Heartwell and the Grand Rapids City Commission
unanimously approved amendments to the City's Housing Code to include
provisions for addressing lead-based paint and lead dust hazards.
Previously, the Housing Code only prohibited peeling paint and paint
chips lying on the ground.
The new ordinance continues to prohibit peeling paint and expands the
prohibition on paint chips to include all paint particles (including
dust and residue) lying on all exterior and interior surfaces. In
addition, the revised code includes two new ordinances; bare soil
within thirty inches of any structure is prohibited, and "any
remodeling, repair or painting of residential structures constructed
prior to 1978 is to be conducted in compliance with the Lead Safe Work
Practices" as established by HUD and EPA.
The prohibition on bare soil comes as a result of Kent County Health
Department findings during environmental investigations that
demonstrate that a significant number of children with elevated blood
lead levels live in housing with exterior soil hazards. The soil
ordinance is seasonal (May 1 through October 31) and allows for
exemption where third party testing has shown the soil not to contain
hazardous levels of lead.
The City Commission approved the new ordinance July 26, 2005 and it
goes into effect immediately. To obtain a copy of the new lead paint
rules, contact Paul Haan at (616) 241-3300 or
gtlo@sbcglobal.net.
2) State Commission Holds Public Hearing on Lead
Earlier this year, Governor Granholm appointed the Childhood Lead
Poisoning Prevention and Control Commission to develop short and
long-term strategies for recommendation to the Michigan legislature.
The Commission is required to hold two public hearings, the first of
which was conducted on August 2 in Lansing.
Many of those providing testimony echoed the recommendations of the
Michigan Lead Safe Partnership (MLSP). These recommendations included:
immediately restoring proposed state budget cuts for lead funding (see
story below), integrating blood lead testing activity and results into
the State's childhood immunization database, strengthening
requirements that high-risk children receive blood lead tests, create
a Public Health Trust Fund that includes a restricted fund for
childhood lead poisoning, and revise the Lead-Safe Housing Registry
over time to be mandatory for all pre-1978 rental housing.
Two local partners serve on this nine-member Commission; Clay Powell
of the Rental Property Owners Association is Vice Chair, and Joan Dyer
of the Kent County Health Department also serves. Michigan Surgeon
General Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom chairs the Commission.
For more details on the Commission's activity, visit
http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2940_2955_2983-76907--,00.html.
To review MLSP testimony, go to
https://www.bridges4kids.org/lead/Commission050802.pdf.
3) Rep. Sak Advocates for State Lead Funding
Michigan Representative Michael Sak called a press conference on
August 3 to draw attention to proposed cuts to State funding for
childhood lead poisoning prevention activities. The Senate
appropriations bill for the Department of Community Health (SB 267)
proposed a $500,000 reduction in funding for childhood lead poisoning,
cutting in half the current $1 million appropriation. Also, the
Michigan House recommended a reduction in funding for the Michigan
Childhood Immunization Registry (MCIR) by $875,000, shifting operation
of this essential public health tool from the State to the HMOs.
The proposed 50% funding reduction for childhood lead poisoning
prevention activities is inconsistent with the bold steps that were
taken by the 92nd legislature in 2004 to pass seven bills to address
childhood lead poisoning. These cuts will disable many of the
legislative strategies enacted. Abatement of lead hazards would be
severely limited or eliminated. Public awareness activities would be
severely limited or eliminated. Case management for severely
lead-poisoned children would be reduced.
Efforts to build and leverage the essential support of local
coalitions in eight high-risk communities would also be cut. In
addition, without effective local coalitions, the ability of
communities to capture federal HUD dollars for abatement of lead
hazards would be seriously jeopardized. In recent years, three
communities were assisted with securing $8 million in federal grants.
The reduction in MCIR funding is of concern to Get the Lead Out!
because the MCIR is being planned for use in childhood lead poisoning
surveillance. With a simple legislative amendment and current funding
levels, Michigan could be a national leader with an integrated
electronic registry for childhood lead poisoning surveillance. Linking
lead to the MCIR is an effective tool that is being demanded by
doctors, HMOs, public health, communities, parents and children.
Representative Sak's press conference was held in the front yard of
844 Bates, a two-family home owned by landlord Ernie Leep. Mr. Leep
participated in the HUD-funded Lead Hazard Control program earlier
this year. The event was successful in gaining the attention of
numerous television and radio outlets. Rep. Sak pledges to work for
restored funding.
Get the Lead Out! encourages you to contact your state Representative
and Senator to request full funding of the "Healthy Michigan Fund,"
which includes the childhood lead poisoning appropriation.
Rep. Glenn Steil, Jr. (72nd District)
glennsteil@house.mi.gov
Rep. Dave Hildenbrand (86th District)
rephildenbrand@house.mi.gov
Rep. Tom Pearce (73rd District)
tompearce@house.mi.gov
Rep. William Van Regenmorter (74th District)
wmvanreg@house.mi.gov
Rep. Jerry Kooiman (75th District)
jerrykooiman@house.mi.gov
Rep. Kevin Green (77th District)
kevingreen@house.mi.gov
Sen. Bill Hardiman (29th District)
Hardiman@senate.michigan.gov
Sen. Ken Sikkema (28th District)
SenKSikkema@senate.michigan.gov
4) CDC Releases New Guidelines for Preventing Lead Poisoning in
Refugee Children
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued
revised guidelines for newly resettled refuge children. The prevalence
of elevated blood lead levels among newly resettled refugee children
is substantially higher than the prevalence for US children. The
combination of past chronic nutritional deficiencies and placement in
older housing put these children at particularly high risk .
If your organization works with refuge children, consider reviewing
the "CDC Recommendations for Lead Poisoning Prevention in Newly
Arrived Refugee Children" and adopting the recommended practices. The
recommendations can be viewed online at
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/Refugee%20Recommendations.pdf.
5) Michigan Family Resources Awarded EPA Funding for Education
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded
Michigan Family Resources a $9,990 grant to continue the touchpoint
service provider training developed with the support of the Steelcase
Foundation. This award is yet another example of how local resources
have helped the Get the Lead Out! collaborative leverage federal
funding.
The EPA award calls for the training of another 200 providers as well
as revising the curriculum for use in educating 100 elected officials
and other community leaders about model solutions for preventing
childhood lead poisoning.
The touchpoint service provider curriculum is already undergoing
revision and updating, and new classes have been scheduled for this
fall (see below). This training provides the most current and locally
applicable information on childhood lead poisoning prevention and
intervention, including local resources for referral, and is an
excellent way to orient new staff.
The touchpoint service provider curriculum is designed for those who
work with parents of young children - nurses, social workers, home
visit workers, early childhood professionals, community workers, and
others. The Michigan Nurses Association offers 3.24 nursing contact
hours for participants.
For more information or to schedule a training for your organization
(minimum of 15 participants), contact Sue Sipkema at (616) 453-4145
x282 or
ssipkema@michiganfamilyresources.org.
6) Training Opportunities
Health and Human Service Provider Training - The training described in
the article above will be offered by Michigan Family Resources on the
following dates:
- Wednesday, September 28 from 8:15am - Noon. (Private Training for
Metro Health employees)
- Thursday, October 13 from 8:15am - Noon @ 2626 Walker Ave NW.
- Thursday, November 10 from 8:15am - Noon @ 2626 Walker Ave NW.
- Thursday, December 8 from 8:15am - Noon @ 2626 Walker Ave NW.
To register for any of these training dates, contact Sue Sipkema at
(616) 453-4145 x282 or
ssipkema@michiganfamilyresources.org. Please feel free to announce
this opportunity to your constituents or in your organization's
newsletter.
Lead Safe Work Practices - Home Repair Services continues to offer
Lead Safe Work Practices training. This 8-hour, EPA approved
curriculum teaches homeowners, landlords, maintenance staff, and
remodelers how to work lead-safe. The training is free and open to
all.
The next class will be offered September 14 and 21 at 6:00pm (must
attend both evenings). Registration required. Contact Richard at
241-2601 x236 or
rtenhoor@homerepairservices.org. Priority will be given to
homeowners and Grand Rapids landlords (contractors will be asked to
wait for future sessions). Please feel free to announce this
opportunity to your constituents or in your organization's newsletter.
7) Home Repair Services Hires New Lead Educator
Home Repair Service announces the hire of Richard TenHoor as their new
Lead Education Supervisor. Richard has his MSW and previously worked
for the State of Michigan (Department of Human Services) for 27 years.
Richard will be working 20 hours per week and his primary
responsibilities will be educating homeowners and others how to
maintain lead-safe housing.
Richard spent his first week in Plainwell getting his Lead Supervisor
Training and is now getting to know the Get the Lead Out! network and
the Lead Hazard Control program. Please help us welcome Richard. He
can be reached at 241-2601 x236 or
rtenhoor@homerepairservices.org.
8) Next Get the Lead Out! Collaborative meeting
The date of the next Get the Lead Out! collaborative meeting is
Wednesday, September 7. The meeting will be 3:00 - 5:00pm at the
Baxter Community Center. As always, guests are welcome to come and
learn more.
To receive collaborative meeting agenda packets via email, contact
gtlo@sbcglobal.net.
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Paul Haan
Get the Lead Out!
"Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning through Partnership"
Community Leadership Institute, Aquinas College
1607 Robinson Road SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
phone: 616.241.3300
fax: 616.732.4585
email: GTLO@sbcglobal.net
www.cliaquinas.org
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