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Recommendations to Governor Frank O'Bannon by IKE's Lead Poisoning Prevention Task Force
Finalized on April 26, 2000
Recommendation #6
Provide $250,000 in funding to ISDH to support lead-based paint education efforts statewide.
Action: Provide at least $250,000 in new funding to ISDH to support lead-based paint education efforts statewide and allow the funding to leverage additional federal funds to address lead-based paint hazards in Indiana.
As the state’s health agency, ISDH is the logical lead agency for Indiana’s lead education efforts. However, virtually the entire program is federally funded. With a two-year maximum term for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants, ISDH’s federal funding is always at risk. And the unstable funding makes it difficult to develop sustainable, long-term efforts. Several years ago, ISDH lost federal funding and needed to shut down the majority of the program. The program was rebuilt when funding returned after a two year lapse.
In addition, the federal funding is not enough to go beyond the burden of just managing Indiana’s crush of cases. ISDH ends up with too few resources for lead education, especially physician education. And the absence of a strong education program puts the State at a disadvantage in getting additional federal funding.
The IKE Task Force believes that ISDH:
- Needs $250,000 in new annual funding to give it a better chance to succeed (as 2010 approaches and lead poisoning becomes a legacy that future generations do not need to face, the funding can be eliminated); and
- Use the funding to hire staff to coordinate lead poisoning prevention efforts at the state and local level and to enhance educational efforts.
The IKE Task Force believes that ISDH:
- Needs $250,000 in new annual funding to give it a better chance to succeed (as 2010 approaches and lead poisoning becomes a legacy that future generations do not need to face, the funding can be eliminated); and
- Use the funding to:
- Support an interagency coordinator to make sure that children don’t fall in the gaps between the various state and local programs, including those at IDEM, ISDH, IHFA, and FSSA; and
- Ensure that progress towards reaching the 2010 goal of eliminating lead poisoning is achieved and accurate tracked.