The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition (LSCC) has selected Better Health Partnership to administer a critical new program to increase blood lead testing rates in the City of Cleveland. In this role, Better Health will spearhead efforts over a 17-month period to expand and strengthen lead screening, testing, and early intervention services for residents of the City of Cleveland, focusing on the city’s most at-risk populations.
“This new program builds upon and strengthens the LSCC’s lead screening and testing capacity, particularly in high-risk areas,” said Ayonna Blue Donald, Vice President, Ohio Market, Enterprise Community Partners and Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition Steering Committee Member. “Better Health Partnership was chosen as the Lead Screening and Testing Administrator for the Lead Safe Home Fund because of their proven track record reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes in communities. They have consistently demonstrated their ability to convene, guide and align cross-sector partners to achieve shared goals. Their in-depth knowledge of Cleveland neighborhoods and the impacts of lead poisoning and their commitment to achieving equitable population and community health were key factors in their selection.”
In 2023, Cleveland’s blood lead testing rate fell to a seven-year low. Recent data highlight a concerning disparity, with testing rates in the eastern neighborhoods of Cleveland significantly lower than those in western neighborhoods. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect learning, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Better Health Partnership is honored to have been entrusted by the LSCC to administer this program crucial to improving the health of our children and families,” said Dr. Robert Eick, President & CEO of Better Health Partnership. “We are committed to accelerating blood lead testing rates and identification of best practices to reach more children in the City of Cleveland. By leveraging partnerships with healthcare providers, community members, community-based organizations, public health entities, and payers, we can collectively address the lead poisoning crisis and eradicate entrenched disparities that have persisted for far too long.”
In addition to improving community-based lead screening and testing via pediatric medical homes and other community-based health partnerships, Better Health’s administrator role will include streamlining lead safe education training and serving as a centralized coordination point with the Cleveland Department of Public Health and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to investigate positive lead tests and ensure timely interventions.
“We have an urgent need to increase lead screening and testing in the City of Cleveland so we can intervene earlier and ensure that our youngest residents aren’t forgotten,” said Dr. David Margolius, Director of the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health and Chair of the City’s Lead Screening and Testing Commission. “This initiative reflects the LSCC’s broader commitment to addressing lead poisoning in the City of Cleveland and preventing lead exposure in every child. The introduction of this new program and increased capacity comes in response to the expansion of the Lead Safe Home Fund using federal ARPA funds. As a pioneering public-private partnership, the Lead Safe Home Fund equips families, property owners, and child care providers with the resources to create lead-safe environments.”
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About the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition
The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition is a public-private partnership formed in 2019 to address the public health crisis of lead poisoning in our community. The cornerstone of the Coalition’s work is supporting the City of Cleveland’s Lead Safe Certification law which requires residential rental properties built before 1978 to be proactively certified as lead safe. Lead is an environmental toxin that affects the brain, heart, bones, kidneys, and nervous system, and there are no safe levels once it is in the bloodstream. The Coalition is implementing an alternative, preventative approach that saves money and protects Cleveland’s children from lead poisoning. LSCC is open to everyone and comprises more than 500 members and 150 organizations, state and local governments, and families impacted by lead. To learn more, go to https://leadsafecle.org/. Email: info@leadsafecle.org. Social Media: @LeadSafeCLE.
About Better Health Partnership
Founded in 2007, Better Health Partnership (BHP), the most trusted health improvement collaborative in Northeast Ohio, aspires to achieve exceptional health value and eradicate health disparities across the region. We bridge silos by bringing health systems together with social service agencies, payers, public health, education institutions, and community-based organizations to share best practices and advance data-informed improvements in equitable population and community health. Our top achievements in diabetes care management, adult blood pressure control, maternal/infant health, COVID-19 public health response and social needs care coordination are a testament to BHP’s capabilities and our mission-driven partners’ dedication to improving health and health equity for the communities they serve.
To learn more, visit: https://www.betterhealthpartnership.org/.
Contact
Kirstin Craciun
Director, Health Equity & Stakeholder Engagement
Better Health Partnership
216.337.6056
kcraciun@metrohealth.org
Malissa Bodmann
Advocacy & Communication Solutions
Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition
216.536.7517
malissa@advocacyandcommunication.org