To: Board of Supervisors
From: Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Report Title: Standard Agreement #28-596-16 with California Department of Public Health
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Standard Agreement #28-596-16 (State #23-10253) from the California Department of Public Health, to pay the County an amount not to exceed $1,834,833, for continuation of the Public Health Division’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Project, for the period from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this agreement will result in funding amount not to exceed $1,834,833. No County match required.
BACKGROUND:
In Contra Costa County, over 60% of the housing units were built before 1978, the year consumer product safety commission banned lead paint. Lead paint is a recognized source of lead poisoning in children. Over 5,000 children live in these types of units. Since 1992, thousands of children have been identified in Contra Costa County with lead poisoning, and many more are likely to have lead although they have not been tested. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) identifies lead poisoning as the principal environmental health problem affecting children in the United States and emphasizes that this is a problem, which is entirely preventable. In the year 2021, Contra Costa County registered 6,288 children and young adults (ages 6 to 21) for elevated Blood Lead Levels. The only way to know if a child has been poisoned by lead is to test the child. This Project is the sole source of funding for case management and follow-up care for children identified as lead-poisoned. The goal of the Project is to decrease the exposure of children to lead and the incidence of increased childhood blood lead levels.
On September 22, 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved Standard Agreement #28-596-15 from the California Department of Public Health, in an amount not to exceed $952,824 for continuation of the Childhood Lead Poising Prevention Project for the period from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
Approval of this Agreement #28-596-16 will allow the County’s Public Health Division to continue receiving funding for the Childhood Lead Poising Prevention Project, through June 30, 2026, including agreeing to indemnify and hold the State harmless for claims arising out of the County’s performance under this Agreement.
This action is delayed because the Division did not receive the agreement from the State until November 2023.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Agreement is not approved, children and residents of Contra Costa County will not be treated nor receive the necessary information with regard to exposure to lead poisoning.