Ohio
The State of Ohio received $500,000 through cooperative agreement EH21-2102 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in FY 2022. The funds address childhood lead poisoning prevention and surveillance programmatic activities being conducted from September 30, 2022 to September 29, 2023.
The strategies focus on
- Ensuring blood lead testing and reporting
- Enhancing blood lead surveillance
- Improving linkages to recommended services
To learn more about these efforts in Ohio, contact the program below.
Ohio Department of Health
Bureau of Environmental Health and Radiation Protection
Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
246 N High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 877-532-3723
Making Data Available to Partners in Ohio
Ohio has a significant number of cases of childhood lead poisoning, but the greatest burden of childhood lead poisoning is confined to specific geographic areas. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) requires blood lead testing for children 1 and 2 years of age, or up to age 6 if no previous test has been completed, based on the following criteria: the child is enrolled in Medicaid, lives in a high-risk zip code, or has certain other risk factors. However, data about properties with known lead hazards and children’s blood lead levels (BLLs) were not readily available to the public.
If an elevated BLL is detected, ODH can issue lead hazard control orders at rental and owner-occupied properties where lead exposure occurred. If a property owner fails to comply with a lead hazard control order, then ODH can issue a notice of non-compliance and order the property owner to vacate the residence.
The Ohio Public Health Warehouse provides blood lead testing and housing data to the public and its partners, such as local health departments, to prevent lead poisoning, direct funding, target areas of greatest need, and avoid housing with lead hazards. The Ohio Public Health Warehouse is an online self-service online tool where anyone can obtain the most recent public health data available about Ohio. It connects daily to Ohio’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Surveillance System to supply two types of data:
- The “Lead Data” module contains data related to blood lead testing for Ohio children from 2016 to the present. The purpose of this module is to make childhood blood lead level data reported to ODH more accessible to public health professionals and the public.
- The “Ohio Lead Hazardous Properties” dataset contains a searchable list of properties in Ohio whose owners have refused to comply with an order from the ODH or its delegated local board of health to correct known lead hazards.
Lead data went live on the Ohio Public Health Warehouse in 2018, allowing the public to access real time BLL and housing data. Additional access can be granted for more detailed data, with approval. The Ohio Public Health Warehouse aids in identifying neighborhoods and populations of children disproportionately affected by high BLLs and educating parents and clinical providers in target areas.
Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001386 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.