CLEVELAND, Ohio—A statewide coalition of public health, healthcare and educational organizations today released a plan to eliminate childhood lead exposure in Ohio homes by 2030.
The Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition is pushing the state to invest more in preventing poisoning instead of reacting once blood tests show a child has already been poisoned.
They hope to accomplish this in part by expanding existing lead cleanup efforts so that more homes can be made safe, resurrecting the state’s empty lead poisoning prevention fund and mapping out how to replace Ohio’s estimated 650,000 public and private water lines that contain lead.
A state-level prevention plan is necessary because Ohio’s existing “piecemeal” approach is insufficient to protect Ohio children from exposure to lead, said Gabriella Celeste, co-chair of the coalition and policy director at Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies.
The coalition hopes to capitalize on the Governor’s early efforts and public commitments to comprehensively address lead poisoning in Ohio.
“This is a statewide issue,” Celeste said, noting some rural Ohio counties have among the highest levels of lead in the state. “If people only see this as a Cleveland, Toledo or urban issue, we’re missing the opportunity to seize this political moment for the benefit of all of our kids.”
Blaine Griffin, city council Health and Human services committee chair, said implementing policy at the state level also takes some of the pressure off of cities like Cleveland, which have a disproportionate burden of lead poisoning cases.
“When everybody’s working together it doesn’t isolate cities as much and make them as responsible for dealing with these issues,” Griffin said. “This is a problem that happens everywhere, all over the state.”
Griffin is speaking today at a Columbus convening sponsored by state coalition, in part, to share Cleveland’s experience of building political will and community partnerships to move to a prevention model. The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition helped pass a lead safe rental mandate in the city but also is working to coordinate health, housing and education, workforce and research efforts.
Similar to Cleveland, the state coalition is suggesting a “one touch” approach that streamlines access to available remediation funding and grants for home repairs and weatherization and, at the same time, suggests directing state resources to build and train a workforce to reduce hazards during renovations and eliminate lead hazards in homes.
There are some aspects of the coalition plan that can be implemented quickly, Celeste said. These include increased funding to allow expansion of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) lead abatement program, which Ohio has been using to clean up homes with identified lead hazards where Medicaid-eligible children live or spend significant time.
“They can put more money into that budget now in order to address the houses that are currently on the waiting list,” for cleanup, Celeste said. “I don’t know why we’d wait, frankly, to do that.”
In August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a plan that eased restrictions for accessing $10 million in federal CHIP, by eliminating requirements for property owner contributions and proof of homeowners insurance and by expanding eligibility to homes where low-income children or pregnant woman spend time, like home-based day cares and relative’s homes.
Other aspects of the plan will take more time, such as shifting the state’s rental registry from voluntary to mandatory, and identifying other public funding to replace all of the state’s residential lead service lines, Celeste said. The plan calls for a ban of existing lead service lines by the end of 2025 but allows for delayed enforcement until 2035, for example.
“We’re not trying to say that these things can be done overnight,” she said.
The plan also calls for specific supports for thousands of young children who have already been exposed to lead, a toxin which can cause damage that affects learning and behavior. That includes access to developmental and neuropsychological testing and referrals to programs with high-quality education and behavior services.
Last fall, the Governor’s Lead Advisory Council, which includes some members of the Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition, began meeting monthly to come up with recommendations for the state’s response to lead poisoning. The council should have a final report and recommendations this summer, according to the Governor’s office.
Celeste said the coalition wanted to have its plan done in time to have it in front of the council as it meets and forms its recommendations.
“We believe the administration is genuinely looking for ways to protect kids,” she said. “If nothing else we hope that by putting this vision out there it’s both challenging and encouraging our state leaders to embrace true prevention more fully.”
Read the full plan here or below.
The coalition’s plan consists of nine areas for action:
1. Help homeowners and landlords eliminate lead hazards;
2. Make rental housing lead-safe;
3. Protect children from lead during renovation and demolition;
4. Disclose lead hazards and engage Ohioans;
5. Empower schools and early learning programs to keep children lead-safe;
6. Remove lead from drinking water;
7. Build a strong lead workforce;
8. Research new ways to protect children from lead;
9.Improve supports for children exposed to lead.
Read more recent stories on lead poisoning prevention efforts:
CHN Housing Partners, Environmental Health Watch picked to run Lead Safe Home Fund, Resource Center
Cleveland, local foundations commit $8.1 million to Lead Safe Home Fund and Resource Center
Gov. Mike DeWine lays out plans, including a tax credit, to combat childhood lead poisoning in Ohio
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February 05, 2020 at 11:00PM
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Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition releases state plan, recommends action in 9 areas - cleveland.com
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