Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County received $250,000 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 community-based approaches for lead hazard elimination and emphasize population-based policy intervention.
To learn more about these efforts in Salt Lake County, contact the program below.
Salt Lake County Lead Safe Housing Program
2001 South State Street Apt S-2100
Salt Lake City, UT 84190
Phone: 385-468-4892
Physician Education and Outreach in Salt Lake County
According to the Utah Department of Health, approximately 3% of children ≤6 years of age have been tested for blood lead levels (BLL) in Utah. Additionally, according to Intermountain Health, only 20% of Medicaid accountable care organization patients are currently tested compared to the national average of approximately 70%.
The Salt Lake County Lead Safe Housing Program partnered with the Utah Lead Coalition, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE), and a private practice pediatrician to develop a Lead Exposure Resource Guide for physicians working with families at risk for lead exposure. The Resource Guide included the following streamlined, straightforward guidance:
- A personalized letter from physician peer,
- A childhood lead risk questionnaire,
- A quick guide for lead testing and treatment,
- A parent handout for children with elevated BLLs; and,
- An informational flyer to connect at-risk families with Salt Lake County’s free lead remediation program.
UPHE helmed the project and collaborated with partners on content, design, and printing. The packet was printed and mailed to 1,169 pediatricians, pediatric sub-specialties, and general care practitioners in the Salt Lake Valley. UPHE staff members made follow-up calls and emails to ensure receipt of packets, answer any questions, and further emphasize the importance of blood lead level testing.
Routine blood lead testing and reporting has become a more common practice among physicians in Salt Lake County. Testing and reporting of blood lead levels for children under 5 years increased substantially from 2015 to 2019, with 1,500 children tested in 2015 and over 19,000 children tested in 2019. Two of the largest pediatric providers in the county began testing children routinely with similar efforts spreading to smaller family practice offices in the county. Additionally, one of the largest pediatric providers in the county, the University of Utah, partnered with the county health department on several projects to increase blood lead testing for children and provide financial incentives to some offices.
Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001365 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.