The State of Illinois leads the nation in the number of children with elevated? blood lead levels over 10ug/dL and the number of children tested for lead poisoning? ( MMWR 2003/52(20); SS-10. Specifically there are 1,059,514 children under the age of? 6 years old in Illinois (520,550 under the age of 3 years), with 75% of this total residing? in communities outside of the City of Chicago. Given the critical impact of the lead? burden in the State and the fact the City of Chicago accounts for 25% of these children,? the City receives additional CDC funds.? While data shows a decline in the number of elevated cased over 10ug/dL? ( 1997=9.0%; 2000= 5.0%, 2003= 2.8%), the fact remains that the number of Illinois? children with elevated blood lead levels still exceeds the national median average of? 1.6% as reflected in the NHANES data ( MMWR 2005/54(20); 513-516). In 2003, the? Illinois Department of Public Health in collaboration with CDC identified four cities? (East St. Louis, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield) outside of the city of Chicago and the? Chicago metropolitan area as targeted high risk areas for lead poisoning based on age of? housing data, poverty level data from each area, and the number of children under the age? of 6 with elevated blood lead levels that resided in those cities. In 2004, 107,588 children? were tested lead poisoning in Illinois, excluding Chicago. Of this total, 2,313 children? (2.1%) had at least one blood lead test result exceeding 10u/dL.? The Illinois Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (ILCLPPP) is housed? in the Illinois Department of Public Health's (IDPH) Division of Health Assessment and? Screening. Local health department (delegate agencies) receives grants for the provision? of both case management follow up and educational services to both the families and the? lead poisoned children. Provisions for how these services are provided in outlined in the? enclosed narrative and the related appendices.? Illinois state Statues ( also in appendices) required that all draw and testing? laboratories submit the results of all blood lead test to ICLPPP's data unit for the? evaluation of surveillance activities and individual test results are provided weekly tot? these delegate agencies for their use in tracking and management of these cases.? Primary prevention services as provided the IDPH's Office of Health Protection,? Division of Environmental Health. While providing home lead hazard inspections across? the state, this Office also has the responsibility for the licensure of lead inspection? personnel, professional and public education on rental housing disclosure and? determining appropriate methods for identifying and eliminating lead hazards. Blood lead? test analysis services are provided by the IDPH's Office of Health Protection laboratory,? located in Springfield, Illinois. While use of the Laboratory is not required of delegate? agencies, it is highly recommended to delegate agencies ICLPPP. Analysis services of? the laboratory are provided free of charge to indigent patients of the delegate agencies.? Strategic partnerships have been and continue to be made through the ICLPPP,? the Office of Health Protection's Environmental Health Program, delegate agencies, and? the Illinois Childhood Lead Elimination State Advisory Council. The Council coordinates? the development and implementation of a statewide strategic plan to eliminate childhood? lead poisoning pursuant to the Healthy People 2010 Goal of elimination by 2010.? Outlined in the enclosed application narrative packet are proposed activities to? further continue current elimination efforts; improve surveillance efforts through? expansion of electronic processing capacities and management systems; improved data? system implementation; increased screening in targeted areas and population cohorts? through improved monitoring, evaluation processes and expanded interaction with? payment agencies such as Illinois Health Care and Families Services (Medicaid payer);? increased education for health care providers, public health professionals, and children? impacted by lead poisoning and their families; increased technical assistance to delegate? agencies, identification of applicable new prevention strategies, and continued quality? improvement of ILCPPP program activities.
