MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) held a lead screening clinic Wednesday as concerns grow over lead exposure in multiple Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) buildings. The clinic was a joint effort with Children’s Wisconsin and Sixteenth Street Clinic.
“We have a lot more children that need to be screened and tested,” said Tyler Weber, the City of Milwaukee’s deputy commissioner of environmental health.
Before the clinic even opened Wednesday, community members rallied outside North Division High School before the clinic opened. They demanded faster and broader action.
Earl Ingram, an MPS alum, joined other parents and advocates in voicing their frustrations over the lead issue.
“What kind of society do we have when we know our children going into these buildings being poisoned?” Ingram said.
Brown Street Academy and Westside Academy were the two most recent schools to temporarily close while MPS and MHD addresses lead hazards.
So far, seven MPS students have tested positive for lead poisoning. Health officials said they expect that number to rise as more students get tested.
“The children in most need of screening often has the most barriers of getting screened, often we generally work with,” said Weber.
Last week, MPS and MHD released a Lead Action Plan.
It included plans to inspect about 100 school buildings built before 1978. That’s the year lead-based paint was banned in homes across the U.S.
While Wednesday’s event was limited to 300 students, families who missed it are encouraged to schedule appointments at another clinic. Ongoing testing is available at other, free lead screening clinics for kids between 9-months-old and 10-years-old. Locations include:
- Children’s Wisconsin Next Door Clinic, 2561 North 29th Street, Milwaukee
March 20, through the end of the school year; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m.
Walk-ins; no appointment needed - MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary (MBHS), 2461 West Center Street, Milwaukee
Every second and fourth Saturday of the month
Free for kids 10-years-old and under
Call 414.404.0600, ext. 5 for more information - Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers - Community Outreach Program
SSCHC office hours, 1032 South Cesar East Chavez Drive
Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Call 414.897.5594 to schedule an appointment
On Wednesday, MHD expressed its concern that dealing with the lead hazards in MPS buildings is taxing its resources.
“We are strained,” said Dr. Michael Totoraitis, the city’s health commissioner. “I think one of the conversations we were having earlier this week is as the district continues to make safer schools, our lab will be called upon to certify that and process samples to ensure the schools are safe.”
