Week 8 Discussion Health Policy and Ethics Nr503 Reply
In Indiana, Governor Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1313 into law on March 10, 2022, requiring healthcare practitioners to confirm that children under seven have been tested for lead and, if not, to offer this testing to the child’s parent or guardian. The measure is set to go into force on January 1, 2023 (Lead and Healthy Homes Division, 2023). The bill states, “Screening children for lead poisoning. Requires the state Department of Health to establish guidelines and standards for health care providers for screening children in Indiana for lead poisoning from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2026. Requires a health care provider who provides health care services to a child under six to take certain actions concerning a blood lead screening test from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2026. Specifies that a parent or guardian is not required to have their child receive a blood lead screening test.” The bill was sponsored by Rick Niemeyer, Mike Bohacek, Dan Demulc, Lonnie Randolph, Ed Charbonneau, and Ron Alting (Barret, 2022).
There is no known safe level of blood lead levels that are noted. Children exposed to lead can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, slow growth and development, and possibility cause learning and behavioral problems. Mandating tests can lower the risks and improve the health of Hoosier children.
Since April 1995, CDC has monitored children’s blood lead through a grant given to 35 high-risk states. The CDC pays 35 state and local health departments for lead surveillance. Grantees must submit quarterly statistics as part of their financing agreement. Non-funded states submit data voluntarily. Even in high-risk locations, Blood Lead Levels (BLL) have declined over 30 years. The NHANES population-based estimate of children with BLLs at or above the reference value has likewise reduced over time (Learn More about CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Data, 2019). Government authorities, health care and social service providers, and at-risk communities have collaborated to regulate or eliminate lead sources in children’s settings, reducing BLLs in U.S. children.
References
Barret, B. (2022). Indiana General Assemby House Bill 1313. Retrieved from Indiana General Assembly: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1313
Lead and Healthy Homes Division. (2023). Retrieved from Indiana Department of Health: https://www.in.gov/health/lead-and-healthy-homes-division/information-for-health-care-providers/testing-requirements/#:~:text=Indiana%20statute%20requires%20that%20ALL,screening%20test%20must%20receive%20one.
Learn More about CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Data. (2019, July 30). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/data/learnmore.htm#:~:text=CDC%20Data,health%20departments%20for%20lead%20surveillance.