Latest news with #EpiAid
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kennedy said a ‘team' is in Milwaukee to help with lead contamination. The city says that's not true
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday that the federal government has 'a team in Milwaukee' helping the city address a lead crisis in its schools. The city says that that's not true and that it's still not receiving requested aid from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's childhood lead poisoning experts to deal with the ongoing contamination. During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing to review the president's HHS budget request for 2026, Kennedy fielded questions about programs and staff already slashed from federal health agencies. CNN reported in April that the CDC had denied the city's request for help with lead exposures in Milwaukee Public Schools' aging buildings after the agency's lead experts were swept up in widespread cuts at US health agencies. Kennedy and HHS have said that the government plans to continue the work of lead poisoning prevention and surveillance at the new Administration for a Healthy America, rather than the CDC. The CDC's experts have not been rehired. 'None have been rehired from our lead program or our division,' Dr. Erik Svendsen, who was director of the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, which oversaw the childhood lead program, told CNN on Tuesday. In response to questions Tuesday from Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, about the demise of the CDC's childhood lead poisoning prevention program, Kennedy said, 'We are continuing to fund the program, and in Milwaukee, we have a team in Milwaukee, and we're giving laboratory support to that, to the analytics in Milwaukee, and we're working with the health department in Milwaukee.' Caroline Reinwald, a spokesperson for the City of Milwaukee Health Department, said Kennedy's statement 'is inaccurate.' 'The City of Milwaukee Health Department is not receiving any federal epidemiological or analytical support related to the MPS lead hazard crisis. Our formal Epi Aid request was denied by the CDC,' she wrote in an email from CNN. Reinwald said the department did recently get help from a lab technician from the CDC's Laboratory Leadership Service, who was there from May 5 to May 16 to help calibrate a new instrument in the city's laboratory. 'This support was requested independently of the MPS crisis and was part of a separate, pre-existing need to expand our lab's long-term capacity for lead testing,' Reinwald said. Beyond the contamination in schools, the city has ongoing programs to test for and remediate lead in its aging homes. Earlier this month, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta asked the city's health commissioner, Dr. Michael Totoraitis, if the agency had enough resources to accomplish what it needed to do. 'We have enough of a team right now,' Totoraitis said. 'I think the long-term investigation into the potential chronic exposures of students at the districts is a part that we were really looking to the CDC to help us with, and unfortunately, HHS had laid off that entire team for childhood blood exposure. 'These are the best and brightest minds in these areas around lead poisoning, and now they're gone.' Andrew Nixon, director of communications for HHS, says the CDC is helping the Milwaukee health agency's lab. At the health department's request, he said in a statement Tuesday, 'CDC is assisting with validating new lab instrumentation used for environmental lead testing. Staff from [the Milwaukee lab] are focused on the lead response and other routine testing while CDC will assist with testing validation, laboratory quality management, and regulatory requirement documentation to onboard the new laboratory instrument.' The city says that the CDC lab technician has left and is not expected to return. As of now, it doesn't anticipate any further help from the CDC. 'MHD is proud of the team currently serving Milwaukee families, managing its regular caseload while also responding to the lead crisis in MPS schools. While we would have welcomed federal support, we continue to move forward without it,' Reinwald said in a statement. At the end of Tuesday's hearing, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, made a statement to 'correct the record.' 'There are no staff on the ground deployed to Milwaukee to address the lead exposure of children in schools, and there are no staff left in that office at CDC, because they have all been fired,' Baldwin told Kennedy. 'I look forward to working with you to reestablish that. It sounds like you have a commitment to that, but we need staff in order to make it function.'
CNN
20-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
Kennedy said a ‘team' is in Milwaukee to help with lead contamination. The city says that's not true
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday that the federal government has 'a team in Milwaukee' helping the city address a lead crisis in its schools. The city says that that's not true and that it's still not receiving requested aid from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's childhood lead poisoning experts to deal with the ongoing contamination. During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing to review the president's HHS budget request for 2026, Kennedy fielded questions about programs and staff already slashed from federal health agencies. CNN reported in April that the CDC had denied the city's request for help with lead exposures in Milwaukee Public Schools' aging buildings after the agency's lead experts were swept up in widespread cuts at US health agencies. Kennedy and HHS have said that the government plans to continue the work of lead poisoning prevention and surveillance at the new Administration for a Healthy America, rather than the CDC. The CDC's experts have not been rehired. 'None have been rehired from our lead program or our division,' Dr. Erik Svendsen, who was director of the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, which oversaw the childhood lead program, told CNN on Tuesday. In response to questions Tuesday from Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, about the demise of the CDC's childhood lead poisoning prevention program, Kennedy said, 'We are continuing to fund the program, and in Milwaukee, we have a team in Milwaukee, and we're giving laboratory support to that, to the analytics in Milwaukee, and we're working with the health department in Milwaukee.' Caroline Reinwald, a spokesperson for the City of Milwaukee Health Department, said Kennedy's statement 'is inaccurate.' 'The City of Milwaukee Health Department is not receiving any federal epidemiological or analytical support related to the MPS lead hazard crisis. Our formal Epi Aid request was denied by the CDC,' she wrote in an email from CNN. Reinwald said the department did recently get help from a lab technician from the CDC's Laboratory Leadership Service, who was there from May 5 to May 16 to help calibrate a new instrument in the city's laboratory. 'This support was requested independently of the MPS crisis and was part of a separate, pre-existing need to expand our lab's long-term capacity for lead testing,' Reinwald said. Beyond the contamination in schools, the city has ongoing programs to test for and remediate lead in its aging homes. Earlier this month, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta asked the city's health commissioner, Dr. Michael Totoraitis, if the agency had enough resources to accomplish what it needed to do. 'We have enough of a team right now,' Totoraitis said. 'I think the long-term investigation into the potential chronic exposures of students at the districts is a part that we were really looking to the CDC to help us with, and unfortunately, HHS had laid off that entire team for childhood blood exposure. 'These are the best and brightest minds in these areas around lead poisoning, and now they're gone.' Andrew Nixon, director of communications for HHS, says the CDC is helping the Milwaukee health agency's lab. At the health department's request, he said in a statement Tuesday, 'CDC is assisting with validating new lab instrumentation used for environmental lead testing. Staff from [the Milwaukee lab] are focused on the lead response and other routine testing while CDC will assist with testing validation, laboratory quality management, and regulatory requirement documentation to onboard the new laboratory instrument.' The city says that the CDC lab technician has left and is not expected to return. As of now, it doesn't anticipate any further help from the CDC. 'MHD is proud of the team currently serving Milwaukee families, managing its regular caseload while also responding to the lead crisis in MPS schools. While we would have welcomed federal support, we continue to move forward without it,' Reinwald said in a statement. At the end of Tuesday's hearing, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, made a statement to 'correct the record.' 'There are no staff on the ground deployed to Milwaukee to address the lead exposure of children in schools, and there are no staff left in that office at CDC, because they have all been fired,' Baldwin told Kennedy. 'I look forward to working with you to reestablish that. It sounds like you have a commitment to that, but we need staff in order to make it function.'
CNN
01-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
Milwaukee announces additional school closures, new plan to address lead paint hazards as contamination crisis deepens
Milwaukee will temporarily close two more school buildings as the city works to address a lead crisis in its public schools. The district also announced Monday an updated plan to tackle the flaking and chalking paint in aging buildings that's suspected to be the cause of elevated blood lead levels in four students this school year. The new closures affect elementary schools Westside Academy and Brown Street School. Two other elementary schools remain closed: Starms Early Childhood Education Center and LaFollette School. In total, the Milwaukee school district has announced work at nine schools this year to address lead hazards. Students are being relocated while the work is underway. The city's school district and health department are in the process of inspecting about 100 buildings that were built before 1978, the year lead was banned from paint. They expect the work to continue through the summer. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said the district expected to clean 54 schools built before 1950 ahead of the next school year. An additional 52 schools built between 1950 and 1978 are slated to be cleaned before the end of the calendar year, she said. 'We are asking families to remain vigilant and to please have their children tested for lead exposure,' either through their family doctor or through the pop-up clinics organized by the city, Cassellius said. There is no safe level of lead. At high levels, lead can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and seizures. At lower levels, lead is a neurotoxin that can affect how a child's brain grows and functions. Children exposed to high levels of lead may have learning challenges, as well as problems with attention and behavior. The new lead plan outlines the process the district will follow to assess and remediate its schools. It starts with a visual inspection of each building, and based on that, the building will be classified as low, medium or high risk. Schools at medium and high risk will receive additional testing for lead and could be subject to full or partial closures for abatement. It also says the schools are developing a plan to test adults who might be exposed to lead in schools, such as custodians. The city has been trying to screen more students for lead in their blood. It had been working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a testing strategy when the agency's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was cut, leaving the city without federal help. The CDC also denied the city's request for EpiAid, a short-term loan of epidemiologists to help guide and staff the response, citing the cuts to the agency's lead program. Denials of EpiAid requests are rare but have happened in the past if the program doesn't think it can meet the requestor's needs, said Dr. Eric Pevzner, chief of the CDC's epidemiology and laboratory branch and its Epidemic Intelligence Service. 'Obviously, in this case, we no longer had the expertise at CDC to support that request,' he said. Last week, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Gwen Moore, both Democrats, sent a letter to US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reinstate the CDC's lead experts. 'You have the ability to immediately rectify this issue, and we urge you to do so,' they wrote. The crisis was discovered after a child tested positive for a high level of lead in their blood late last year. An environmental inspection found no significant sources of lead in the child's home or in relatives' homes but did find peeling lead paint in a basement bathroom in the child's school. It also found high levels of lead in the dust around windowsills and floors. The city of Milwaukee, which has a large share of older homes, has a long history of lead problems. In some areas on its north side, health department data shows, about 1 in 5 children tested positive for elevated blood lead levels between 2018 and 2021. The current crisis, however, is the first time lead poisoning in kids has been linked to the city's schools. One of the most cost-effective ways to control lead exposure from old paint is to keep it sealed it under layers of new paint. The school district had fallen behind in its efforts to do that. In a report to the state legislature last year, the district disclosed more than $265 million in deferred maintenance for its schools. On Monday, Dr. Michael Totoraitis, the commissioner of health for the city of Milwaukee, said officials had been notified about three more students in the district who had elevated lead levels. It's still not clear, however, whether environmental conditions at their schools are the cause. 'As everyone understands, when we do receive a referral or a complaint, we have to discern whether it's a poisoning from their home or a secondary address affiliated with that family, or if it's tied to the school, so those investigations can take a lot of time,' Totoraitis said. Dr. Richard Besser joins The Lead He said the health department has considered two types of exposure to kids: acute exposures, in which kids would ingest chips of flaking paint, and chronic exposures, in which kids would ingest or inhale lead in dust over time. Totoraitis said acute exposures typically show up within two to four weeks of the ingestion. Chronic exposures might take longer to become evident. Because the maintenance lapses that led to the program didn't happen overnight, he said, it's unclear how long kids have been exposed to lead in their schools. 'It might be kind of scary, but we have a really good track record of seeing those levels come down if they do test high,' he said. Typically, babies are tested for lead through finger-prick blood tests in the doctor's office at 1 or 2 years of age. That same kind of screening doesn't usually extend to school-age kids, however. Totoraitis said the city was considering revising its screening recommendations to include older children. Milwaukee Public Schools and the Milwaukee Department of Health have hosted some school-based clinics to make lead testing more convenient for families. The next lead screening clinic is scheduled for May 7. The health department had hoped to do more of these with the CDC's help but says it will continue to do as much as it can with the resources it has.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Milwaukee announces additional school closures and new plan to address lead paint hazards as contamination crisis deepens
Milwaukee announced Monday the temporary closure of two more schools as the city works to address a lead crisis in its public schools. The district is also presenting an updated plan to tackle the flaking and chalking paint in aging buildings that's suspected to be the cause of elevated blood lead levels in four students this year. The new school closures impact elementary schools, Westside Academy, and the Brown Street School. Two other elementary schools also remain closed: Starms Early Childhood Education Center and LaFollette School. In total, the Milwaukee public school district has announced the closure of nine schools so far this year to address lead hazards. The city's school district and health department are in the process of inspecting nearly 100 buildings in the district that were built before 1978, the year lead was banned from paint. They expect the work to continue through the summer. The new lead plan outlines the process the district will follow to assess and remediate its schools. It starts with a visual inspection of each building, and based on that, the building will be classified as low, medium or high risk. Schools at medium and high risk will receive additional testing for lead and could be subject to full or partial closures for abatement. It also says the schools are developing a plan to test adults that might be exposed to lead in schools, such as custodians. The city has also trying to screen more students for lead in their blood. They had been working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a testing strategy when the agency's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was cut, leaving the city without federal help. The CDC also denied the city's request for EpiAid, a short-term loan of epidemiologists to help guide and staff their response. Denials of EpiAid requests are rare but have happened in the past if the program doesn't think it can meet the requestor's needs, said Dr. Eric Pevzner, chief of the CDC's epidemiology and laboratory branch and its Epidemic Intelligence Service. 'Obviously, in this case, we no longer had the expertise at CDC to support that request,' Pevzner said in an interview. Last week, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Gwen Moore, both Democrats, sent a letter to US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reinstate the CDC's lead experts. 'You have the ability to immediately rectify this issue, and we urge you to do so,' they wrote. The crisis was discovered after a child tested positive for a high level of lead in their blood late last year. An environmental inspection found no significant sources of lead in the child's home or in relatives' homes, but did find peeling lead paint in a basement bathroom in the child's school. They also found high levels of lead in the dust around windowsills and floors. The city of Milwaukee, which has a large share of older homes, has a long history of lead problems. In some areas on its north side, health department data show about 1 in 5 children tested positive for elevated blood lead levels between 2018 and 2021. The current crisis, however, is the first time lead poisoning in kids has been linked to the city's schools. One of the most cost-effective ways to control lead exposure from old paint is to keep it sealed it under paint. The school district had fallen behind in its efforts to do that. In a report to the state legislature last year, the district disclosed more than $265 million in deferred maintenance for its schools. So far, three other children in the district have also been found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Typically, babies are tested for lead through finger-prick blood tests in the doctor's office at 1 or 2 years of age. That screening doesn't typically extend to school-age kids. The Milwaukee Public School District and the Milwaukee Department of Health have recommended that kids in the district see their doctor for screening, and they've also hosted some school-based clinics to make the testing more convenient for families. The next lead screening clinic is scheduled for May 7. The health department had hoped to do more of these with the CDC's help but says it will continue to do as much as it can with the resources it has.
CNN
28-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
Milwaukee announces additional school closures and new plan to address lead paint hazards as contamination crisis deepens
Milwaukee announced Monday the temporary closure of two more schools as the city works to address a lead crisis in its public schools. The district is also presenting an updated plan to tackle the flaking and chalking paint in aging buildings that's suspected to be the cause of elevated blood lead levels in four students this year. The new school closures impact elementary schools, Westside Academy, and the Brown Street School. Two other elementary schools also remain closed: Starms Early Childhood Education Center and LaFollette School. In total, the Milwaukee public school district has announced the closure of nine schools so far this year to address lead hazards. The city's school district and health department are in the process of inspecting nearly 100 buildings in the district that were built before 1978, the year lead was banned from paint. They expect the work to continue through the summer. The new lead plan outlines the process the district will follow to assess and remediate its schools. It starts with a visual inspection of each building, and based on that, the building will be classified as low, medium or high risk. Schools at medium and high risk will receive additional testing for lead and could be subject to full or partial closures for abatement. It also says the schools are developing a plan to test adults that might be exposed to lead in schools, such as custodians. The city has also trying to screen more students for lead in their blood. They had been working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a testing strategy when the agency's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was cut, leaving the city without federal help. The CDC also denied the city's request for EpiAid, a short-term loan of epidemiologists to help guide and staff their response. Denials of EpiAid requests are rare but have happened in the past if the program doesn't think it can meet the requestor's needs, said Dr. Eric Pevzner, chief of the CDC's epidemiology and laboratory branch and its Epidemic Intelligence Service. 'Obviously, in this case, we no longer had the expertise at CDC to support that request,' Pevzner said in an interview. Last week, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Gwen Moore, both Democrats, sent a letter to US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reinstate the CDC's lead experts. 'You have the ability to immediately rectify this issue, and we urge you to do so,' they wrote. The crisis was discovered after a child tested positive for a high level of lead in their blood late last year. An environmental inspection found no significant sources of lead in the child's home or in relatives' homes, but did find peeling lead paint in a basement bathroom in the child's school. They also found high levels of lead in the dust around windowsills and floors. The city of Milwaukee, which has a large share of older homes, has a long history of lead problems. In some areas on its north side, health department data show about 1 in 5 children tested positive for elevated blood lead levels between 2018 and 2021. The current crisis, however, is the first time lead poisoning in kids has been linked to the city's schools. One of the most cost-effective ways to control lead exposure from old paint is to keep it sealed it under paint. The school district had fallen behind in its efforts to do that. In a report to the state legislature last year, the district disclosed more than $265 million in deferred maintenance for its schools. So far, three other children in the district have also been found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Typically, babies are tested for lead through finger-prick blood tests in the doctor's office at 1 or 2 years of age. That screening doesn't typically extend to school-age kids. The Milwaukee Public School District and the Milwaukee Department of Health have recommended that kids in the district see their doctor for screening, and they've also hosted some school-based clinics to make the testing more convenient for families. The next lead screening clinic is scheduled for May 7. The health department had hoped to do more of these with the CDC's help but says it will continue to do as much as it can with the resources it has.
