#1     Wed. 10:30 to 11:45 am           Screening Children

#2     Wed. 1:30 to 2:30 pm               Confidentiality and Datasharing

#3     Wed. 2:40 to 3:40 pm               Indoor Air Quality and Asthma

#4     Wed. 3:50 to 4:50 pm               Latest Word on Health Effects of Lead

#5     Thurs, 9:15 to 10:30 am           The Doctor is In:  Asthma and Lead Poisoning

#6     Thurs, 10:45 am to 12:00 pm   Case Management for Lead Poisoned Children

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#1   Screening Children – Wed. 10:30 to 11:45 am

Screening children serves two purposes.  First,  it helps us know how we are doing in preventing lead poisoning.  Second, it allows to identify the children who have slipped through the cracks of our primary prevention efforts and become lead poisoned.  Indiana State Department of Health regulations require case management and environmental investigation by the local health department for each children with an elevated blood lead level - a level over 10 ug/dL.  

This session will explore two intensive screening efforts in Indiana:  one in Indianapolis and one in Fort Wayne. Presenters will discuss the keys to their success and the barriers they encountered.  Participants should get practical guidance to set up similar efforts in their community.  

Moderator:    Bev Enslow, Health Nutrition Coordinator, Bloomington Head Start.

Speakers:         

• Dave McCormick, Director, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Marion County Health Department

• Nicole Gaunt, Case Manager, Fort Wayne - Allen County Health Department 

#2 Indoor Air Quality and Asthma – Wed. 1:30 to 2:30 pm

From mold to cockroaches to dust mites to pet dander, the home abounds with materials that can trigger an asthma attack.  The science of asthma and the identification of environmental sources of asthma causes and triggers is quickly evolving as the issue has leaped into a national focus.  

This session will discuss what is known about asthma triggers and the relationship to indoor air quality.  Representatives from Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana Department of Environmental Management will describe the joint Indiana Joint Asthma Council that will develop recommendations in 2004 to address key aspects of the battle on asthma.  Back by popular demand, Lisa Cauldwell will provide the her experienced guidance on pragmatic approaches to indoor air quality.  

Moderator:   Kathleen Kraner, Coordinator, Get The Lead Out Task Force of St. Joseph County

Speakers:         

• Lisa Cauldwell, Environmental Health Specialist, Marion County Health Department

• Paula Smith, Director, Office of Planning and Assessment, Indiana Department of Environmental Management

• Joni Albright, Director, Office of Special Projects, Indiana State Department of Health 

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House Enrolled Act 1171 was enacted in 2002.  It required that the Indiana State Department of Health share data with local health departments on children who were lead poisoned after 1990.  It also requires that the information be shared with state and local housing agencies for cases identified after July 1, 2002.  

Implementation of this mandate has been slowed by new medical confidentiality rules called HIPAA.  As a federal regulation, it preempts the state law where state law is inconsistent.  Some health departments have evaluated the laws and concluded that it can reconcile the differences and reveal address and other information to housing agencies because lead poisoning is a serious public health issue - an exemption under HIPAA.  

This session will explain the legal basis for disclosure as well as what information to disclose and how to disclose it.  It will also provide disclosure forms so the family understands what may happen with the test results.  

There are no easy or clear answers.  This session will give you the structure to analyze the problem and guidance to work it through to a reasonable conclusion.  

Moderator:    Amy Hesting, Environmental Health Specialist and Risk Assessor, Fort Wayne - Allen County Health Department

Speakers:         

• Eric Essley, Attorney, Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County

#4 Latest Word on Health Effects of Lead – Wed. 3:50 to 4:50 pm

We have known that lead is dangerous for centuries.  But our knowledge keeps evolving.  Recent studies suggest that lead has its most dramatic impact on IQ levels at concentrations below 10 ug/dL - levels that many counsel parents as being "safe".  Other studies indicate that lead delays puberty in African-American girls.   

Most of the leading edge research is coming from scientists such as Bruce Lanphear and Bill Menrath at the University of Cincinnati.  Bill Menrath will provide an update on the latest research in his down-to-earth style.    

Moderator:    Tony Moore, Environmental Health Specialist and Risk Assessor, East Chicago Health Department

Speakers:         

• Dr. Bill Menrath, Researcher, University of Cincinnati - Department of Environmental Health

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#5 The Doctor is In: Asthma and Lead Poisoning – Thurs. 9:15 to 10:30 am

Doctors are critical to preventing lead poisoning.  They can help ensure that the right kids are tested for lead poisoning.  They can also reach parents at that "teachable moment" with just a word.  

Yet, like most professions, not all doctors are the same.  Some have a great grasp on the issue and make a tremendous difference in the lives of their patients.  Other doctors still look for symptoms of lead poisoning in children before acting.  They do not all know what the latest research shows about the long-term effects of lead poisoning - even at low levels that do not have any symptoms.  How can you measure the lost learning potential of a child?

Asthma represents similar challenges.  While identifying the problem may be easier, identifying the sources of the problem are much more complex and varied.  The key is that the medical profession must look at the exposures to asthma triggers in the home, in school and at work in order to make a sustainable difference for the asthmatic.  

This session will explore the medical view of asthma and lead poisoning from the perspective of Hoosier doctors who care about the issue and have demonstrated leadership in their community.  Concerned parents, educators, risk assessors, and social service providers should attend this session.

Moderator:    Karen Long, Environmental Health Specialist and Risk Assessor, Howard County Health Department

Speakers:         

• Dr. Mary Jo Stine, Pediatrician, Southeast Health Center in Marion County

• Dr. Janice Carson, Director and Chief Health Officer, St. Joseph County Health Department 

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#6 Case Management for Lead Poisoned Children – Thurs. 10:45 am to 12:00 pm

Indiana requires local health departments to provide case management services for any child with a blood lead level of more than 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood.  But many local health departments are struggling with the nature of case management.  What exactly is needed?  And how must it be documented?

Nicole Gaunt - a lead poisoning case manager from the Allen County - Fort Wayne Health Department - will share her trials and tribulations with her cases.  Her practical examples will make it clear how to dig into a case to protect not just the lead poisoned child but also siblings and others.  The stories alone are worth the session.  

Going beyond the stories, Matt Waldo of the Indiana State Department of Health will explain what the department is looking for in case management and how it can provide assistance and guidance to local health departments complying with the mandate and helping protect children.

Moderator:    Connie Rudd, Public Health Nurse and Risk Assessor, Porter County Health Department

Speakers:         

• Matt Waldo, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Indiana State Department of Health

• Nicole Gaunt, Case Manager, Fort Wayne - Allen County Health Department

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