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Oklahoma Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program


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Mission

The Oklahoma Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OCLPPP) strives for the elimination of childhood lead poisoning as a public health problem in Oklahoma.


Purpose

The OCLPPP provides screening and testing for lead exposure for eligible children 6-72 months of age and follow-up for children with blood lead levels that are 5 µg/dL or greater.  *In accordance to changes made by the CDC the new reference level is now  5µg/dL instead of 10µg/dL as of June 2012.


Vision

Every child in Oklahoma will live in a home free of lead hazards.

 


Program History 

 

The Oklahoma Legislature passed State Law (O.S.63-1-114.1) in 1994 establishing the OCLPPP and the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Council.  The law directed the State Board of Health to promulgate rules to screen children 6-72 months of age for lead toxicity.  Rules were passed by the State Board of Health and approved by the Legislature in 1995.  The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Rules require that all children, 6-72 months of age “shall be assessed for blood lead exposure utilizing the risk assessment questionnaire,” and “an initial capillary or venous sample should be done at 12 months and 24 months of age,” and “provide follow up of children who have elevated blood lead levels”. The rules further require that all laboratories report results of all blood lead tests performed on children 6-72 months of age to the OCLPPP.

 


Core Services Offered

 

Screening and Testing 

  • Development and implementation of a statewide plan to screen children 6-72 months of age for lead poisoning.
  • The OCLPPP requires that all children 6-72 months of age shall be assessed for blood lead exposure utilizing the Lead Exposure Risk Assessment Questionnaire (LERAQ) (English) (En Espanol). Each child identified as high-risk should be tested.

Case Management

  • The OCLPPP provides individualized guidance to parents of children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs), and consultation to health care providers on appropriate follow-up of elevated blood lead levels in children.
  • Families are provided with fact sheets, brochures, and pamphlets in order to increase their awareness about lead poisoning. This educates families about key sources of lead exposure and how to reduce them as well as providing them education on a diet rich in calcium and iron. The rate of lead absorption in children is increased, especially when calcium and iron are deficient in their bodies.
  • The OCLPPP schedules an environmental inspection to identify the source of the lead for a child 6-72 months of age  who has a persistent blood lead level of 15 µg/dL or greater (i.e. 2 venous blood tests in this range at least 2 months apart), or a single blood lead level of 20 µg/dL or greater. Environmental Inspections are performed in child's home and other sites where significant amount of time is spent. The OCLPPP has 3 certified Lead-Based Paint Inspector/Risk Assessors to perform environmental inspections.  

Surveillance

  • The OCLPPP maintains a surveillance system, Neometrics, to collect, analyze, and interpret data pertaining to children's blood lead levels in Oklahoma as well as to  monitor their trends.  Additionally the system's follow-up component ensures that children 6-72 months of age are adequately tested for lead poisoning and that children with EBLLs are appropriately followed per Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) case management guidelines.
  • All blood test results on children 6-72 months of age must be reported to the OCLPPP.

Education & Outreach

  • The OCLPPP offers community and professional awareness programs on lead poisoning and prevention. Additionally, education and training is provided to parents of young children, childcare professionals, healthcare providers, human services providers, teachers, and other groups concerned with the health and well-being of young children.

Program Funding

Historically the OCLPPP is primarily funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The partnership between OCLPPP and CDC goes back several years, with CDC awarding the OCLPPP a 3-year Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance grant in 1997 in order to assist the program in improving surveillance activities. In 2000, the program was awarded a 3-year Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program grant from CDC. In 2003, the program was awarded a second 3-year Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Project grant through June 2006. 

In June 2006, OCLPPP was awarded a 5-year project grant “Oklahoma Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Focusing in High Risk Groups”.  The program is focused on communities and populations where there is significant evidence of high numbers of children 6-72 months of age who are at high risk for lead poisoning, especially young Medicaid-eligible children living in old housing units.

The OSDH provides a 50% match to CDC funding ($1 for every $2 provided under the CDC grant) for the OCLPPP.

In September 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the OCLPPP a 1-year grant to conduct outreach and screening activities to reduce lead poisoning in under-studied areas with a high potential for undocumented EBLLs. The major goals of this project are to communicate risks to families with young children who are not Medicaid-eligible living in old housing within high-risk target area (HRTA) zip codes. Approximately 2,700 children, 6-72 months of age, are projected to be tested.

During spring 2009, the OCLPPP submitted the first ever Healthy Homes request for funding proposal to the CDC. In 2009, CDC selected OCLPPP as one of the six sites in the nation for its two-year healthy homes pilot project, “Building Strategic Alliances for Healthy Housing Pilot”.  Oklahoma’s project, “Tulsa Safe and Healthy Housing Project” is currently administered in Tulsa, Oklahoma in collaboration with Children First (C1) – Oklahoma’s Nurse Family Partnership program. 

 

Contact Information

1000 NE 10th Street, Room 711
Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299
Phone: 405 . 271 . 6617

Fax: 405 . 271 . 4971
Email: oklppp@health.ok.gov  

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