Lead program faces delays and slow spending, per report
Cleveland is still seeing persistently high rates of childhood lead poisoning six years after passing a landmark lead-safe housing law.
Why it matters: Lead poisoning in Cleveland children remains nearly four times the national average, per Cleveland Clinic, and can result in irreversible cognitive and behavioral damage.
The big picture: Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer — co-chair of the city's Lead Safe Advisory Board — argues in a new report that Cleveland's approach needs a reset.
She says resources have spread too thin and legislative or administrative tweaks are required to direct spending toward the homes, neighborhoods and housing components most likely to expose kids to lead.
Catch up quick: Maurer rose to prominence through her work with Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing, the grassroots group that successfully pushed City Council to pass the 2019 Lead Safe law.
Friction point: Despite building a public-private system to certify and remediate rental homes, Maurer says the program is hamstrung by administrative delays, tech hurdles and sluggish spending.
The city has spent less than 25% of federal HUD funds and less than 10% of state dollars dedicated to lead remediation as of spring 2025, according to her report.
What they're saying: Lead-safe housing "is at a crossroads," Maurer writes.
"We can keep doing what we are doing and hope we make enough of a dent ... Or we can take needed steps to simplify the program, focus our resources, and clearly coordinate our leadership and data reporting."
What's next: Maurer says she'll seek buy-in from her colleagues on council and the lead advisory board.
The other side: Council President Blaine Griffin told Cleveland.com that amending the law would be difficult.
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14 hours ago
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Leslie Heinberg, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, told Medscape Medical News that the self-esteem boost in the first year after surgery noted in this study is 'absolutely in line' with her own clinical observations. It's after the first year when challenges may arise, said Heinberg, who wasn't involved in the research. Early Self-Esteem Boost For their study, Dhyani and colleagues used the Geisinger database to identify 5056 adults (mean age, 48 years; 85% women) with obesity (BMI ≥ 35) who had bariatric surgery between 2006 and 2019. Most had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. A total of 534 participants completed a survey on self-esteem within 12 months before and 6-24 months after weight-loss surgery. Overall, the researchers found that self-esteem scores more than doubled just 12 months after bariatric surgery — from 33.6 at baseline to 75.5 (out of 100) at 12 months ( P < .0001). 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Beyond the 'Heavenly Period' Heinberg told Medscape Medical News the first year after bariatric surgery is colloquially called the 'heavenly period' because people are losing a lot of weight, they're finding big improvements in their health and quality of life, and they're often getting a lot of positive attention. But 'beyond the first year, quality of life may stabilize, and people find that they have to work hard so they don't experience weight recurrence,' said Heinberg. 'They still have the same challenges as before surgery, like stressful jobs. They're just in a smaller body.' That's why ongoing counseling is so important. 'At Cleveland Clinic, the psychology team is embedded within the bariatric program. We see patients a bit more in the first year, but then annually is recommended,' Heinberg said, adding that they are available to patients more frequently if needed. 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Taking action will lower your risk of experiencing another stroke in the future, silent or otherwise. Up Next: Dr. Ken Uchino, MD, stroke neurologist at the Cerebrovascular Center at Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic Dr. Mill Etienne, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College Dr. Jeffrey N. Quinn, MD, vascular neurologist at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, an affiliate of Cedars Sinai Medical Center Dr. Wengui Yu, MD, PhD, Professor of Clinical Neurology and the Director of the UCI Health Comprehensive Stroke Center How To Know if You've Had a 'Silent Stroke,' According to Neurologists first appeared on Parade on Jun 25, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Axios
15 hours ago
- Axios
Lead program faces delays and slow spending, per report
Cleveland is still seeing persistently high rates of childhood lead poisoning six years after passing a landmark lead-safe housing law. Why it matters: Lead poisoning in Cleveland children remains nearly four times the national average, per Cleveland Clinic, and can result in irreversible cognitive and behavioral damage. The big picture: Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer — co-chair of the city's Lead Safe Advisory Board — argues in a new report that Cleveland's approach needs a reset. She says resources have spread too thin and legislative or administrative tweaks are required to direct spending toward the homes, neighborhoods and housing components most likely to expose kids to lead. Catch up quick: Maurer rose to prominence through her work with Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing, the grassroots group that successfully pushed City Council to pass the 2019 Lead Safe law. Friction point: Despite building a public-private system to certify and remediate rental homes, Maurer says the program is hamstrung by administrative delays, tech hurdles and sluggish spending. The city has spent less than 25% of federal HUD funds and less than 10% of state dollars dedicated to lead remediation as of spring 2025, according to her report. What they're saying: Lead-safe housing "is at a crossroads," Maurer writes. "We can keep doing what we are doing and hope we make enough of a dent ... Or we can take needed steps to simplify the program, focus our resources, and clearly coordinate our leadership and data reporting." What's next: Maurer says she'll seek buy-in from her colleagues on council and the lead advisory board. The other side: Council President Blaine Griffin told that amending the law would be difficult.
