Indiana Lead-Safe & Healthy Homes Newsletter

November 2002 Edition

Word Version

Improving Kids’ Environment (IKE) and the Indiana Lead-Safe Task Force publish this newsletter every other month at no charge to anyone interested in issues and events involving lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes in Indiana.   It is distributed by email or fax – preferably by e-mail - at no charge.  We try to keep the newsletter to four pages.  Tom Neltner is the editor.  Please contact him at mccabe@ikecoalition.org or 317-442-3973 if you have any comments on the newsletter, have an article to contribute, or want to get on or off the distribution list.  All editions are available on IKE’s web page at http://www.ikecoalition.org/publications.htm.

Mark Your Calendars

•     Monday, December 2 – Deadline to comments on IDEM’s Revisions to its Lead-Based Paint Activities Rule

•      - Task Force meeting from 10:00 to 2:00 in Indianapolis at Forest Manor Clinic – 38^th St and Sherman Ave.. Everyone is welcome to participate in all meetings.

• General Meeting – 10 to 12

• Conference Planning Committee Meeting – 12 to 1

• Legislation Committee Meeting – 1 to 2

• The Task Force’s next meeting will be Wednesday, March 5.

•    Wednesday, December 18 - ISDH CLPPP Advisory Committee will meet in Indy from 12 to 4.  Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will participate.

•     October 15 & 16 – 2003 Indiana Lead-Safe and Healthy Homes Conference.  By popular demand, we are expanding our focus to include more healthy homes topics.  The rates, schedule and format will stay the same as this year. 

Upcoming Special Meetings

During the conference many good ideas and issues were raised.   As a result, we are arranging for three follow-up meetings with state agencies.  Please let me know if you are interested in attending.

•       FSSA Office of Medicaid – Secretary Hamilton offered at the conference to meet to discuss screening rates and reimbursement for case management and environmental investigations for lead poisoned children.

•       State Building Commission – We want to see how we can get the work practice requirements in HEA-1171 integrated in the building permit process. 

•       IDEM Lead-Based Paint Activities – We will be meeting with Phil Perry to discuss several issues including turnaround time for licenses, the rulemaking (especially definitions and reciprocity with other states), the asbestos trust fund, and efforts to improve the quality of risk assessment.

Welcome!

Nicole Bolde is ISDH’s new health educator for the childhood lead poisoning prevention program.  You can reach her at nbolde@isdh.state.in.us or 317/233-1250.

Recognizing Leadership

State Senator Beverly Gard and Kim Wize, Executive Director of the Indiana Housing Finance Authority, presented Lead-Safe Indiana awards to seven people or organizations the conference on November 7.  Recognized for their contributions were:

• Kathleen Kraner (Get the Lead Out Task Force of St. Joseph County)

• State Representative Dennis Avery (Indiana General Assembly)

• Lynnette Brown (Wayne County Health Department)

• Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development (Bruce Jennings)

• Greentree Environmental Services (John Casey)

• FSSA Housing and Community Services (Joan Cochran, Maria Larson, Tom Reel and Jim Meier)

• Fort Wayne - Allen County Health Department (Dr. Deborah McMahan, Loren Robertson, Chad Appleman, Amy Hesting, and Nicole Gaunt)

They presented Certificates of Recognition to:

• Monroe County Lead-Safe Coalition (Beverly Enslow and Marcy Wenzler)

• Indiana Community Action Association (Steve Nall)

• Rep. Jeff Thompson (Indiana General Assembly)

• Connie Rudd (Porter County Health Department)

• Dr. Janice Carson (St. Joseph County Health Department)

Revising the Licensing Rules  

IDEM published a draft rule to revise the State's lead-based paint activities regulations in response to HEA-1171.  See the rule in the Indiana Register at http://www.in.gov/legislative/register/November-2-2002.html.  Scroll down to the bottom to the section labeled “IC 13-14-9 Notices” and click on “Title 326 Air Pollution Control Board -- #02-189 (PDF).”   If you want the pdf version instead of the Word Perfect version, click on “(PDF)”. 

IDEM MUST receive written comments by December 2, 2002 to be formally considered.  Based on the comment, IDEM will revise the rule and present it to the Air Pollution Control Board in a public hearing at the Board’s February 5 meeting.   The Board may make changes at that time.  If the rule is preliminarily adopted, you will have a final opportunity for comment on the rule before it is finalized.  HEA-1171 requires that the Board finalize the rule before July 1, 2003.  The schedule is tight but possible thanks to IDEM’s extra effort. 

This stage of the rulemaking process is the best time to make major adjustments to the rule.  If you have an opinion, please make yourself heard by submitting comments on the rule to IDEM.  The final opportunity to comment – in the Spring of 2003 - is designed to finetune the language not make wholesale changes – but major changes can be made nonetheless. 

IKE’s comments on the rulemaking at available on-line.  Overall, IKE believes IDEM did an excellent job integrating HEA-1171 into the rules.   Improvements are needed to the existing rule in the following areas:

•       True reciprocity with adjacent states so licensed people, especially abatement contractors, can more easily work in Indiana’s border communities.  A short course to orient them to Indiana’s regulations may be all that is needed.

•       Clarified and simplified licensing requirements so licenses can be issued more quickly.

•       Clearer definitions of contractor, risk assessment, inspection, and lead-hazard screen so that the quality of the work is improved, community groups are more comfortable conducting sampling, and unlicensed people do not advertise these services under slightly different names without a license.

Funding Success

•       $1.7 Million HUD Lead-Hazard Control Grant to Indy.  Just before the conference, HUD announced that Indianapolis received a HUD Lead Hazard Control Grant for $1.7 million.  The City will be working with Marion County Health Department, Indianapolis Housing Authority and three community development corporations over three years to make 190 units lead-safe.  140 of these units will be low-income owner-occupied homes, 25 will be low-income, affordable-rental units, and 25 will be vacant units designed for low-income homeownership programs.  The project will use the funds to supplement existing rehab dollars to cover the additional costs related to lead-hazard control.  Now that is teamwork!    Contact Jim Naremor at jnaremor@indygov.org or 317-327-3766 for details. 

•       $100,000 to Fort Wayne - Allen County Health Department for window rehab.  EPA settled an enforcement action with Steel Dynamics near Fort Wayne for Clean Air Act violations.  As part of the settlement, the company paid $100,000 to the Fort Wayne – Allen County Health Department for lead poisoning prevention.  Most of the funds will go to refurbishing lead-based paint windows in low-income housing.  Way to go EPA!  Contact Loren Robertson at loren.Robertson@co.allen.in.us or 260-449-7395 for details.

•       $70,000 to Improving Kids’ Environment for the Citizen’s Healthy Homes Initiative.  On November 14, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust gave Improving Kids’ Environment a grant of $70,000 for the Citizen’s Healthy Homes Initiative on Indy’s near northside.  This initiative is a joint project of IKE, the Citizen’s Multi-Service Center, and the Concerned Clergy of Greater Indianapolis.   In August, the Community Environmental Health Resource Center provided a $20,000 scoping grant to the Concerned Clergy for the initiative.  Now to get the work done!  Contact Tom Neltner at mccabe@ikecoalition.org or 317-442-3973 for details.

Funding Opportunities

•       IDEM Mini-Grants?  IDEM is working to get another round of mini-grants to housing and health agencies.  Last time the grants were up to $5000 each.  Contact Paula Smith of IDEM’s Office of Planning and Assessment at psmith@dem.state.in.us for details.  Let’s hope IDEM can make it happen!

•       HUD Healthy Homes and Lead-Hazard Control – In June, HUD is anticipated to be accepting applications for Lead-Hazard Control Grants and Healthy Homes Demonstration Grants.  If you are interested in applying, please plan to attend a workshop to discuss the options and build on Indy’s successful applications.  We have tentatively scheduled the workshop for Wednesday March 5 from 12 to 2:00 in Indy.   

Highlights of 2002 Lead-Safe Indiana Conference

The conference was 14% bigger than last year with 228 attendees including 116 organizations represented, 70 speakers, and 28 exhibitors.  As the table shows, we have a nearly even split between health agencies and housing agencies.  Plus we were able to pull in more parents and social service providers. 

Click here for a recap of the conference including PowerPoint presentations and handouts. 

Dave Jacobs of HUD kicked off the conference with an excellent speech that gave us the latest statistics on lead hazards in housing.  HUD’s latest research had three surprises: 

•       The highest risk property is low-income housing that does not receive government assistance.  35% of these homes have lead hazards compared to 17% for government-assisted housing and 19% for middle and upper income housing.  The HUD regulations have an impact where they apply.

•       There is no longer a significant difference between urban and rural areas.  The prevalence of lead hazards in these homes are similar. 

•       Eliminating lead poisoning would cost $2.4 billion over 10 years.  The economist put the lost potential of our children at more than $110 billion.  This excludes the extra costs for our schools and juvenile detention facilities. 

Ruth Ann Norton of the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning showed us that we can virtually eliminate lead poisoning with a sustained and focused effort.  Baltimore is a model.  Susan Thornfeldt of Maine Lead Action Project made it clear that success requires the active involvement of parents of lead poisoned children.  John Hamilton emphasized the challenges and successes FSSA has had in preventing lead poisoning.  FSSA’s Housing and Community Services Section won a Lead-Safe Indiana award for its work. 

Scholarships provided by our sponsors enable 30 people to attend.  Our Lead-Safe Leaders were Indiana Housing Finance Authority; Marion County Health Department, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Environmental Management Institute; Improving Kids’ Environment; Indiana Department of Environmental Management; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Indiana State Department of Health.  Lead-Safe Patrons were Environmental Protection Agency – Region V; Get the Lead Out Task Force of St. Joseph County; Greentree Environmental Services; HealthVisions Midwest; and IKON Office Systems

We are still assembling the evaluation forms and moderator summaries but here is a quick rundown of action items that came from the discussion:

•       Meet with FSSA to discuss the unmet Medicaid mandates, IDEM to discuss the licensing rules, and the State Building Commission to get their support for the work practice requirements in HEA-1171.

•       Chart out the flow of communications when a child’s blood lead is tested clarifying when a housing agency gets the information.

•       Promote the use of Lead-Check swabs to help new tenants quickly check a new residence for serious lead hazards so that they can be address before the tenant moves in and the information can be shared with future tenants.

•       Use the same conference schedule and format next year.

•       Offer a Sony CLIE’ palm pilot keeps people until the end and ensures that evaluation forms are turned in.  We will be inputting the 4” high pile of forms into the spreadsheet.

•       Make compliance with the Medicaid mandates for screening and reimbursement a top priority.

•       Regarding sharing addresses, clarify that we are only notifying and not asking the consent of parents whose children’s blood is being testing.

•       Help local inspectors enforce the work practice requirements on HEA-1171.  IDEM and ISDH need to help get the word out. 

Getting it Wrong

Kris LaMar wanted to talk at the conference.  Unfortunately, as a high school science teacher and two young children, she was unable to make it.  Instead, she gave me a written summary of her story.  Despite her best efforts, her contractors took shortcuts and created serious lead hazards in her home.  Extensive cleanup has reduced the levels but they still exceed the EPA standards.  She and her husband are not comfortable moving into their renovated home and they clean-up costs have broke the budget.  Remember to do a dust wipe after all work!  For her story.

I (Tom Neltner) had my porch screens replaced with windows.  I made sure the contractors used lead-safe work practices – with one exception.  The contractors were OK with wet methods and plastic but balked at booties.  As a result of their work, the lead dust levels went from non-detectable to twice the EPA standard.  I checked the floor of their panel truck – the levels were 12 times the standard.  Before the project started, Kris told me to be careful.  Obviously, a compromise has left me with cleanup work on my porch.  I will share more details in the next edition of this newsletter.   

Thanks for improving kids' environment!   If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, IKE, or the Indiana Lead-Safe Task Force, contact Tom Neltner at mccabe@ikecoalition.org, 317-442-3973 or 5244 Carrollton Avenue, Indianapolis, IN  46202-3181.  If you need more information on national events, check out the Alliance Alert Newsletter at www.afhh.org and click on newsletter.  You can also get on the “leadnet” listserver operated by the Alliance.  Send an email to “Leadnet-on@mail-list.com” to get on that listserve.

This newsletter was produced with the assistance of IHFA through federal funds made available by IHFA under the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, as amended, using HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Please let us know if you do not want to receive this newsletter.  You may get enough emails and faxes already.  We do not want to add to the burden if you are not interested in receiving the materials. 

IKE publishes two additional newsletters on a quarterly basis.  Let Tom Neltner at mccabe@ikecoalition.org know if you want to get copies of either of those newsletters.

•        “Sewage in Our Streams” newsletter on behalf of the Indiana Clean Water Coalition.  This newsletter deals with issues and events that directly relate to sewer overflows, sewer management and septic systems.

•         “Improving Kids’ Environment” newsletter.  This newsletter deals with all issues and events IKE is involved in.  To avoid duplication, topics dealt with in this newsletter or the “Sewage in Our Streams” newsletter are only briefly mentioned.