Milwaukee health officials note lead poisoning prevention program's improvements

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee Health Department says the lead poisoning prevention program is on the up and up.

This comes after years of the program being under fire over department mismanagement.

Health officials revealed Monday the program has made some improvements. 

According to health officials, the data system, community partnerships and the lead risk assessor process have all brushed up.

Last year, the program was in the hot seat for mishandling a lead poisoning case in May of 2021.

A health department commissioner says although they've seen improvements, there's still a lot of room to grow. 

"The public health foundation, it highlights a lot of the progress the program has made, but more importantly, it is a call to action for where -- if we can continue to improve, not only as a program but as we discussed already, as a city, as whole."

Health officials say some areas still need to improve, including documentation -- keeping all records in one place, finding lead safe homes for children with elevated high blood level, as well as Medicaid eligible services, to name a few.