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April 4, 2005 Issue #4
In this Newsletter:
1) Governor Appoints Joan Dyer (KCHD) to Childhood Lead Poisoning
Commission
2) Lead Poisoning Rates drop in Kent County in 2004
3) Training Opportunity #1 - Lead Safe Work Practices
4) Training Opportunity #2 - Service Provider Orientation to Resources
5) Rep. Kooiman Reintroduces Lead Paint Tax Credits
6) Lead-Safe Child Care Facilities
7) May Collaborative Meeting
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1) Governor Appoints Joan Dyer (KCHD) to Childhood Lead Poisoning
Commission
Governor Granholm appointed Joan Dyer of the Kent County Health
Department as one of nine members to serve on the State's Childhood
Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Commission. Joan accepted this
appointment with the full support of the Get the Lead Out! coalition.
Get the Lead Out! has a seat around this important table thanks to
Senator Hardiman, who insisted that the legislation creating the
Commission include one seat for a representative from Get the Lead
Out! and Kent County.
The Commission will be chaired by Michigan Surgeon General, Dr.
Kimberlydawn Wisdom. Its role is to guide and inform State policy
through annual reports to the legislature. Congratulations, Joan!
2) Lead Poisoning Rates drop in Kent County in 2004
For the fourth year in a row, childhood lead poisoning rates have
dropped in Kent County while the numbers of children tested continues
to increase. In 2000 in Kent County, 6.2% of all children tested had
elevated blood lead levels. The prevalence rate dropped to 2.4% in
2004. These trends support local efforts to eliminate childhood lead
poisoning in Kent County by 2010.
Lead poisoning rates dropped more than 53%, from 559 children in 2000
to 262 children in 2004. Meanwhile, lead testing has increased 24%
from 8,977 children in 2000 to 11,112 children in 2004. While
incidence continues to fall, requests for service continue to remain
high, keeping services providers at capacity.
Get the Lead Out! recognizes two challenges for the future in light of
this good news. First is the recognition that the remaining households
that continue to be affected by childhood lead poisoning are
increasingly those with more significant risk factors. Second is the
need to realign local strategies away towards prevention in order to
maintain this new, lower prevalence rate.
Compared to Kent County's rate of 2.4%, the rate for the State of
Michigan was 2.5%. The City of Detroit was 6.0%, Muskegon County 3.0%,
and Berrien County (Benton Harbor) 2.6%.
For a Grand Rapids Press article announcing the 2004 decrease, go to
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-21/111211123259150.xml?grpress?NEG
3) Training Opportunity #1 - 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.
There are three separate class sessions planned in the coming months.
They are:
- April 21 and 22, from 6:00pm - 10:00pm each day.
- May 19 and 20 from 3:00pm - 7:00pm each day.
- June 15 and 16 from 8:30 am - 12:30 each day.
Register by contacting Michael Soto at 241-2601 x236 or
msoto@homerepairservices.org. Please
feel free to announce this opportunity to your constituents or in your
organization's newsletter.
4) Training Opportunity #2 - Service Provider Orientation to Resources
Michigan Family Resources is hosting two Get the Lead Out! trainings
for service providers in April and a third in June. The training
provides the most current and locally applicable information on
childhood lead poisoning prevention and intervention, including local
resources for referral.
The training is designed for those who work with parents of young
children - nurses, social workers, home visit workers, early childhood
professionals, community workers, and others. 3.24 nursing contact
hours are offered through the Michigan Nurses Association.
Scheduled training dates ar April 14, April 21, and June 23. All
trainings are 8:15am - Noon.
To register, contact Sue Sipkema at (616) 453-4145 x282 or
ssipkema@michiganfamilyresources.org.
5) Rep. Kooiman Reintroduces Lead Paint Tax Credits
State Representative Jerry Kooiman has reintroduced legislation
calling for the creation of Lead-Based Paint Tax Credits for both
income tax and single business tax. These bills passed the house but
died in a Senate committee during the 92nd legislature last year, so
had to be reintroduced. HB 4408 and 4409 can be viewed at
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/ by
entering the bill number in the "Legislative Bill Search" box.
At the federal level, Representatives Clay (D-MO) and Slaughter (D-NY)
introduced HR 453 which calls for a federal tax credit. For more
information, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.453:
6) Lead-Safe Child Care Facilities
Numerous Get the Lead Out! partners and allies spoke out at a hearing
on proposed Day Care Licensing rule changes held March 7 in Grand
Rapids. While the propose rules include a provision requiring "flaking
or deteriorating paint" to be addressed, Get the Lead Out! believes
that this rule needs to be strengthened, requiring a visual assessment
of the home for lead, and use of lead-safe work practices when
remediating paint hazards in pre-1978 in-home child care facilities.
Relief resources already exist for families who may experience
hardship due to the strengthened rule.
Child care facilities with lead hazards put numerous children in
harm's way. As a result, homes with child care facilities are
routinely prioritized by both the City of Grand Rapids Lead Hazard
Control Program and Kent County Health Department case management
team. Due to the increased number of children at risk, it is important
to get support and relief resources to the owners of these homes as
quickly as possible.
An additional resource is the EQUIP grant offered to child care
providers to improve their facilities. EQUIP grants have been used in
the past in Grand Rapids to address lead paint hazards. For more
information on these grants for providers, go to
http://www.mi4c.org/programs/grants/equip.
7) May Collaborative Meeting
The date of the next Get the Lead Out! collaborative meeting is
Wednesday, May 4. 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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