07/03/2003

PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island's program for screening children for lead poisoning has been awarded $1.03 million to continue its work for another year.

The grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was announced yesterday by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.

The money goes to the state Department of Health. It amounts to about a $200,000 increase over current funding, according to Robert J. Marshall Jr., assistant director of health.

The CDC awards multi-year grants for such programs, and then periodically requires states to reapply for additional funding. That's what occurred in this case, Marshall said, and the award amounts to an endorsement of Rhode Island's continued need and its success in responding to that need.

The state screens thousands of toddlers each year so it can identify lead poisoning cases at the time when they are most harmful to chlidren's brains.

"Childhood lead poisoning in Rhode Island is still higher than the national average," Reed said. "While we are making improvements in reducing the risk of lead poisoning in some areas, there is significant work left to be done."

Reed has backed a number of measures in Congress to reduce lead poisoning. He successfully sponsored a provision in the 2003 federal appropriations which will create a $50-million program that targets $2 million each for communities with the greatest lead poisoning needs. His staff said Providence is expected to be one of those communities.