Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Lizelle Lirio de Luna, Director, Family Health Services
Subject: Agreement with California Department of Public Health for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the acceptance of an award from the California Department of Public Health for implementation and administration of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program for the term of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026, in an amount not to exceed $1,324,677.
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BACKGROUND:
Lead poisoning in children remains a major preventable public health problem. Some sources of childhood lead poisoning in the County include lead paint in homes, ceramic pottery with lead glazes, lead in candies, home remedies that include lead, and lead dust that is brought home from industries where lead is present. There are also a number of children who arrive from other countries who display elevated blood lead levels (BLL).
Even slight elevations in BLL can result in disruptions of growth and development, cause behavioral problems, and affect every organ of a young child. Children are particularly vulnerable because their small bodies absorb more lead, the lead is excreted slowly from their systems, there are no symptoms, and the only way to tell if a child is poisoned is through a blood lead test.
Since January 1992, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (CHDP) has required providers to screen children aged six months to six years for the risk of lead poisoning. Per CDPH recommendations, children eligible for the blood test who receive Medi-Cal, CHDP services, or Women, Infants, and Children programs should have a blood test at age 12 months and again at 24 months of age.
DISCUSSION:
Since 1993, the State Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) has awarded funding to local health departments to support the cost of home investigations, case management, surveillance, tracking, and community outreach and education. San Mateo County Health’s Family Health Services (FHS) division has been awarded CLPPP funding for this purpose.
The County may need to sign an agreement on an annual basis in order to receive this funding and FHS therefore requests that the Board delegate to the Chief of the San Mateo Health System or their designee authority to sign the agreement or related documents during the term of the agreement.
The Board is being asked to authorize the Chief of San Mateo County Health or their designee to execute subsequent amendments which do not exceed an aggregate of $25,000.
This agreement is going to this Board late due to prolonged negotiations with the State.
The resolution has been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney as to form.
It is anticipated that 90% of children receiving lead poisoning prevention services will benefit from a reduction in BLL.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2022-23 Actual |
FY 2023-24 Projected |
|
Percentage of children receiving lead poisoning prevention services that benefit from a reduction in BLL |
96% 46 of 48 children |
90% 56 of 62 children |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026. The amount of the agreement is not to exceed $1,324,677 for the three-year term. Funds in the amount of $306,022 are included in the FHS FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget. Similar arrangements will be made for future years. Since the County is receiving this funding, there is no Net County Cost.