As healthcare providers, you and your team play a critical role in preventing lead poisoning. If you are a healthcare provider (doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, etc.) with patients between six months and six years old, you are required to give anticipatory guidance on the risks and impacts of lead exposure at each periodic assessment. It is especially important for providers to inform parents about the ways children can be exposed to lead, such as through the peeling and dust of lead-based paint.
Blood lead screening (BLS) for your Medi-Cal patients:
- Must be a venous blood sample.
- Is required at 1 year and 2 years old.
- Should be performed on your patients older than 2 who have never been tested.
Patients with elevated blood lead levels need subsequent treatment. Learn more about California Department of Public Health (CDPH) requirements and standards of care, which are referenced in the Pediatrics section of HPSM’s Clinical Guidelines.
Have a patient at-risk of lead poisoning or who wants to learn more about prevention? Refer them to the San Mateo County’s Lead Prevention Home Visiting Program by having their parent or guardian call 650-573-2877 or email [email protected].
HPSM Medi-Cal members with a possible lead exposure due to lead-based paint in their home may qualify for remediation services at no cost through Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP). Direct members to RTP’s website: rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org/lead-paint-safety