Louisiana

About the program

The State of Louisiana received $515,000 through cooperative agreement EH21-2102 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the third funding year. The funds address childhood lead poisoning prevention and surveillance programmatic activities being conducted from September 30, 2023, to September 29, 2024.

The strategies focus on:

• Ensuring blood lead testing and reporting
• Enhancing blood lead surveillance
• Improving linkages to recommended services

To learn more about these efforts in Louisiana, contact the program below.

Louisiana Department of Health

Louisiana Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

1450 Poydras Street, Suite 1652

New Orleans, LA 70112

Phone: (888)-293-7020

Success story: funding year 3

Louisiana raises awareness of potential lead exposure during saltwater intrusion

Challenge

Due to an extended drought across the entire Mississippi River basin, the water levels of the lower Mississippi River were extremely low during the summer and fall of 2023, allowing salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to come upstream. This phenomenon, known as saltwater intrusion, can affect local water supplies because many public drinking water systems in south Louisiana rely on fresh water from the Mississippi River. Introducing salt water to drinking water systems could corrode older pipes and cause lead to contaminate treated water.

Intervention

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), along with regional, state, and federal partners, actively monitored the situation and conducted water quality testing and analysis to provide regular updates to the public and healthcare providers about impacts to water systems and necessary precautions.

The Louisiana Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (LCLPPP) coordinated closely with LDH Leadership and the Safe Drinking Water Program to conduct the following interventions and preparations during September 2023 through January 2024:

1. Informed populations at higher risk of lead poisoning, such as children and pregnant people, about their potential risks and encouraged them to take precautions to minimize their exposure

2. Provided regular updates to communities so all residents and healthcare providers had information about the impact of saltwater intrusion on water systems and the necessary action needed to prevent lead exposure

3. Developed a Frequently Asked Questions document and talking points specifically for officials covering lead contamination in drinking water, the potential impact of saltwater intrusion, and pertinent local resources such as filters and water testing

4. Provided a list of certified laboratories that offer lead in water testing to residents, allowing them to determine the lead levels in their drinking water

5. Encouraged communities and individuals, especially children and pregnant people to undergo blood testing to monitor lead levels for early detection of potential lead exposure and timely intervention to minimize its impact on their health

6. Closely monitored blood lead levels (BLLs) in areas at higher risk and provided frequent updates to allow local authorities to assess the extent of lead exposure and take necessary actions to mitigate its effects. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Department of Health, and the US Army Corps of Engineers worked with local officials to determine areas where children were most likely to have higher BLLs.

Impact

Ultimately, freshwater levels rose in the Mississippi River, which prevented a large-scale disaster and subsequent lead poisoning. LDH staff monitored BLLs among young children and did not see an increase during the threat of saltwater intrusion. Therefore, they did not need to distribute prepared informational materials in the community (general public). This exercise served as necessary preparation and practice for a widespread emergency, which will be important in getting ready for and responding to greater lead poisoning risk in the future as natural disasters become more common and affect larger populations.

Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE1EH001265 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Success story: funding year 2

Improving reporting of blood lead tests in Louisiana

Challenge

Increasing the prevalence of childhood blood lead testing is a top priority for the Louisiana Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (LHHCLPPP). To fully understand testing rates, it is important to investigate whether the underlying issue is lack of testing or, perhaps, failure to report test results to the LHHCLPPP. Increasing reporting is crucial in this regard as it provides the program with a more complete picture of lead exposure among Louisiana children and aids in identifying areas with lower testing rates. By leveraging this information, LHHCLPPP can devise targeted interventions to improve testing rates in the identified regions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with lead exposure and ensuring early identification and mitigation of lead poisoning. To achieve this, LHHCLPPP reviewed provider testing and reporting rates through an internal quality assurance effort and identified those with low compliance.

Intervention

In 2022, LHHCLPPP successfully established a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health's Bureau of Infectious Diseases (BID)-Electronic Reporting Team. Through the partnership, LHHCLPPP implemented a new innovative strategy to increase reporting of blood lead data using an electronic laboratory reporting system (ELR). The strategy consisted of four steps completed by LPPCLPPP:

• Step 1—Created a high-volume spreadsheet tracking all healthcare providers that reported blood lead testing results via fax.
• Step 2—Established the Lead Data Usage Working Group. This working group meets monthly to address any internal data needs and data cleaning projects, and it tracks ELR submissions.
• Step 3—Contacted 46 clinics that provided the most blood lead test data by fax to promote the importance of submitting their data electronically and onboarding them into the ELR System.
• Step 4—Contacted the hospital laboratories of 46 clinics to track the onboarding status of each clinic.

Impact

Through the partnership with BID, LHHCLPPP received an additional 448 blood lead test results for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2022, which equates to a 20% increase in reporting.

Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE1EH001265 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Success story: funding year 1

Testing women, infants, and children for lead exposure in Louisiana

Challenge

Louisiana children that receive services provided by Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics are more likely to have a higher risk for lead poisoning. The Louisiana Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (LHHCLPPP) is aware that some children attending WIC clinics do not receive routine health prevention services and are, therefore, not likely to receive blood lead testing at a medical clinic. Blood lead testing at WIC clinics is an efficient way to screen these children at ages 12 and 24 months and increase blood lead testing rates in Louisiana.

Intervention

LHHCLPPP staff members conducted a blood lead testing pilot project in 2018 at WIC clinics in Region 1 of the state. Region 1 consists of four Louisiana parishes: Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard. LHHCLPPP partnered with 12 WIC clinics in Region 1 to increase testing and raise awareness. Additionally, the program trained all WIC staff members in Region 1 on lead poisoning prevention at WIC regional meetings and one-on-one with WIC clinic staff members while they provided services to children.

LHHCLPPP was able to support a Regional Outreach Specialist for Regions 1, 6, and 8 who is responsible for training WIC staff members, providing training at provider offices, and supporting other promotional activities. Regions 6 and 8 include five Louisiana parishes with an elevated risk of lead poisoning.

Impact

Through the partnership with WIC, LHHCLPPP has reached an additional 2,403 children, and 82% were tested for lead exposure for the first time.

Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE1EH001265 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.