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Issue 1

July 2020

CLPPP Notes

Inside this issue:

Meet the Team 2 Data Update 6

Nursing Case Management Update 7 Mi-HHLPSS Tips 8

Program Resources 8 Contact Us 9

Welcome to the first Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program newsletter!

This is our new way of providing current updates and important information for our

local partners. We are so thankful for all the work you do to support us in your local

communities! You are an essential part in our mission to prevent our Michigan kiddos

from the negative impact of lead.

The goal of this issue of CLPPP Notes is to provide an overview of the CLPPP team so

you are aware of who to contact for specific reasons. There is information on various

resources that are available and how you can request them from us. Future issues will

include data updates, Mi-HHLPSS tips and Nurse Case management updates.

As always, please reach out with any questions or if you have feedback for us!

Stay safe!

CLPPP Manager TwichellM@michigan.gov

Mission:

To prevent childhood lead poisoning

prevention across the state through

surveillance, outreach and health services.

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Meet the Team

Angela Medina, Public Health Consultant MedinaA@michigan.gov

I am responsible for health education, communication, managing grants, assisting with nursing

case management and “other duties as assigned” for CLPPP. Every single day is different at

CLPPP.

I’m available to local health departments (LHDs) for assistance on anything related to lead

poisoning prevention. I’m always happy to help with any challenges or barriers that come up for

LHDs and help make connections to other folks in MDHHS or lead poisoning prevention

partners throughout the state and brainstorm solutions.

I enjoy the work I do because I have the opportunity to learn about real world applications of public health from

epidemiology, finances, clinical guidance, health communication, partnership building, and more. Also, I know the work

that we do is helping kiddos live happy and healthy lives, so that keeps me motivated on overwhelming, hard days.

Fun Fact: I grew up as an army brat and have lived in five states (Alaska, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan). Each

state has such unique people, traditions, and cultures. Moving around sparked my love of exploring the United States, and

now I hope to run a road race in each of the 50 states.

Dan Albright, Departmental Specialist AlbrightD@michigan.gov

My main work revolves around our 2 blood lead data systems, MICLPS and Mi-HHLPSS. I

ensure these applications run properly and work with vendors on updates to the systems. I also

manage the data request and review process for CLPPP, working with requestors to make sure

they get the data they need. Other duties include coordinating projects between CLPPP and

other state agencies including Medicaid and Foster Care and ensuring the blood lead data is

flowing through our systems efficiently.

Come to me for all your blood lead data needs! We are working on projects to improve the

timeliness of blood lead data reporting, but if additional data is needed just reach out and I will

work to help you!

I am passionate about my work with CLPPP because no child should be poisoned by the place that should feel the safest. Fun Fact: I recently moved to Pittsburgh!

Elizabeth Vickers, Epidemiologist VickersE@michigan.gov

I help to prepare data tables and reports using the CLPPP blood lead surveillance data. Generally, I help to fulfill data requests and work on the CLPPP annual data report. My pet projects involve streamlining the way we analyze CLPPP data so that we can proactively get information to the LHDs, data requests are fulfilled faster, and information can be posted for the public in a more timely manner. There are so many reasons that I care deeply for this work. One reason is that I believe very strongly in health equity. Removing and mitigating the effects of childhood lead exposure is critical to

eliminate health disparities. Fun Fact: I have a LOT of hobbies- martial arts, yoga, pottery, and urban gardening are a few.

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Jessica Cooper, Data Technician

CooperJ3@michigan.gov

My main role with CLPPP is to pick up and log the daily incoming lead files. I send

any elevated results of 20 or greater to the LHD contact for case management. I also

process blood lead results into our MICLPS database, and respond to FOIA and

Subpoena requests from the Legal Affairs Department.

I provide LHDs with weekly reports that contain all of the new blood lead results

processed for that week, locate missing lead results, and fax elevated blood lead

results.

I am passionate about the work I do with CLPPP because I am assisting with the safety and prevention of children in

Michigan becoming exposed to lead. I really enjoy my job and am fortunate to work with so many outstanding individuals. I

look forward to continuing all the great work we do.

Fun Fact: I am the longest tenured CLPPP member. I started working for the Program in 2001 and am still proud to be a

CLPPP’r! I also love spending time at home with my family and doing crafts in my barn.

Karen Lishinski RN MA Nurse Consultant

LishinskiK@michigan.gov

I provide guidance for Nursing Case Managers, primary care providers and families in the treatment of children with elevated blood lead levels. I attend conferences and meetings to provide education for many groups of people that are caregivers of young children. I provide guidance for the nurses at the LHDs that provide case management for children

with elevated blood lead levels.

I am passionate about my work because elevated blood lead levels in children are entirely

preventable. With enough education and awareness, we can prevent the health effects caused by chronic or acute lead

exposure in children.

Fun Fact: I raise, show and field trial champion English Setters!

Kendorah Lockhart, Data Technician

Lockhartk1@michigan.gov

I verify addresses for test results that come in incomplete, review and approve Nurse Case

Management reimbursement documents, create Mi-HHLPSS trainings, perform Mi-

HHLPSS user maintenance, provide administrative support for the CLPPP team, answer Mi-

HHLPSS questions, order educational materials and work with LHDs on Nurse Case

Management reimbursement.

I am passionate about my work with CLPPP because I get to do a wide variety of tasks and

am constantly learning new skills.

Fun Fact: In my free time I love to sew and have a small craft business.

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Monica Silver, Epidemiologist

SilverM3@michigan.gov

I work in partnership with CLPPP when there is an action level exceedance (ALE) for

lead in a municipal water system. CLPPP helps me to obtain and analyze blood lead test

results for communities with an ALE and prepare reports for the LHDs in these

communities.

My work helps the LHDs in ALE communities to understand the risks from lead in

water, as well as other exposure pathways, and to encourage testing of at-risk children.

I am passionate about preventing lead exposure in pregnant women and children

because even relatively low lead exposure during periods of rapid growth has the potential for long-term consequences on

health and development.

Fun Fact: I have been riding horses for 27 years. I have a horse named George and two older rescue ponies - one is blind and

one is deaf!

RoseAnn Miller, Epidemiologist

MillerR29@michigan.gov

As an epidemiologist, I am responsible for producing reports and analyses of blood lead

surveillance data in Michigan. An unrecognized but important part of my job is working with

the CLPPP data analysts to develop and implement data quality controls to ensure that the data

in the CLPPP blood lead surveillance database is as accurate and usable as possible.

As a CLPPP epidemiologist, I have completed data requests from a wide number of LHDs over

the years. We also provide epidemiology consultations to LHDs whenever needed.

I am a firm believer in using evidence-based interventions to help solve public health problems

and enjoy the ability to analyze and report data in formats that can be used by LHDs. I have a

background in spatial epidemiology, and I’m excited that CLPPP has recently been able to

provide geocoding for the addresses of children with blood lead tests – this will allow us to analyze data in geographic units

that are more focused, and can tie population and housing risk factor data from the U.S. Census to blood lead test results.

Fun Fact: My background is in veterinary epidemiology, and I did my doctoral dissertation research in southwestern

Uganda on brucellosis, a zoonotic disease that can infect cattle, goats, and humans.

Veronica R. Tijerina, Data Analyst

TijerinaV@michigan.gov

I provide technical assistance to LHDs as required for entering and maintaining records in Mi-

HHLPSS. I provide data management and analysis support for CLPPP by analyzing, reviewing and

resolving inconsistent record entries, merging records, and processing records.

I interact with the LHD’s and the Genesee County Community Health Access Program (CHAP) by

providing technical assistance and training in Mi-HHLPSS.

I am passionate about training LHD nurses and administrative staff in using our Mi-HHLPSS database. I enjoy the nature of

my job, where I can learn new programs and work with a diversity of individuals.

Fun Fact: I was born on 8-8-88 at 8:00 AM, so my favorite number is 8. I love cooking and eating Mexican food.

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Shontrease Rembert-Crenshaw, Program Assistant

RembertCrenshawS1@michigan.gov

My role as a program assistant is to help the CLPPP program with daily office operations

which includes managing records in Mi-HHLPSS and MiCLPS. My main responsibility is to

assist my CLPPP colleagues in data processing and cleaning.

My job is a little more behind the scenes as I help with data processing to ensure that LHDs

and other lead poisoning prevention partners have access to information/data they need to

successfully do their work.

I am passionate about my job because I have the opportunity to learn new skills in Excel and

other Microsoft software from my colleagues.

Fun Fact: I am very crafty, and I love doing all sorts of DIY projects.

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Data Update:

2017 CLPPP Annual Data Report is now live!

This report includes blood lead testing results for Michigan children under 6 years old who were tested in 2017. Access the

report online at www.Michigan.gov/lead under ‘Data and Reports.’ If you need the unsuppressed data tables from this

report, they were also uploaded to CLPPP’s secure file transfer system.

Coming soon! LHD Quarterly Reports

• CLPPP is working to develop a report bundle specific to LHDs, which will be released quarterly.

• Phase 1 of the bundles will include annual and monthly testing and EBLL rates for each county, for children under 6

and children 1 to 2 years old. Phase 2 will add venous confirmatory testing rates and a line list of children needing a

confirmatory test.

• The Phase 1 reports are under Quality Assurance review and the methodology for calculating confirmatory venous

testing rates is under discussion. CLPPP will be actively seeking feedback on these reports after their release - we want

these reports tailored to your needs!

Spotlight on MiTracking

MDHHS’s MiTracking program gathers data, information, and resources about environment and health, providing them all

in one online location to support data-driven public health actions. Everyone, including citizens, public health professionals,

and students, can access data through queries on the MiTracking data portal. From the landing page, click ‘Go to the Data’

and use the filters to select the data you are interested in seeing. Results are provided in tables, charts, and maps that can be

downloaded, saved, and printed. The MiTracking website currently has lead testing information from 2010 through 2016 for

children under six , statewide and by county/Detroit. To see this information, select the ‘Health’ category and ‘Childhood

Lead Exposure’ content area. Age

of housing, annual blood lead

levels (testing and EBLL rates for

the test year), and blood lead

levels by birth year are available.

CLPPP is currently working with

MiTracking to update this

information.

See the example of what can be

generated through MiTracking to

the right.

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Nursing Case Management Update:

As you all know, nursing case management is one of the most important services available to help lower

children’s blood lead levels. Let’s review some key points, resources available and current updates.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has presented some unique challenges for nursing case management. As

different parts of the state start to open at different times, please let us know if you can resume home

visits or you are still only able to do telephone visits. Please remember that if your LHD is unable to

perform in-person home visits, you are able to receive reimbursement for telephone visits. Be sure that

when you submit your spreadsheet, indicate in the comments column that the visit was a telephone visit.

In HHLPSS, it should be documented as “*HOME VISIT-PHONE”. Thank you for all your hard work

protecting Michigan’s children from lead exposure.

• We hope you are able to join us on the NCM bimonthly

calls. Our next call is scheduled for Thursday, August 20th

at 1 p.m. We try to provide the latest updates, time for

sharing ideas, and often have guest speakers to help you

with your NCM duties. Please let us know if you have

suggestions for topics to discuss on these calls.

• If you are a LHD nurse case manager and want to serve

on a steering committee to provide valuable input to

CLPPP as we expand and improve our program, please e-

mail us at MDHHS-CLPPP@michigan.gov.

As the Nurse Consultant, I am available anytime you need guidance or resources for any case you have. If you

have new staff or need a refresher, we are available for teleconference training in NCM or Mi-HHLPSS.

Please do not hesitate to call or email if you need any assistance at all. The CLPPP staff is always happy and

available to help you in any way that we can.

Best,

Karen Lishinski

Data on children served by EBL NCM nurse case management – FY 2019

• 43 (95.5%) of Michigan’s 45 LHDs signed contracts with MDHHS for the program.

• 34 (79.1%) of the 43 LHDs conducted at least one home visit, with a range of one to

433 home visits.

• 782 EBLL children received at least one home visit, including 723 (92.5%) who were

Medicaid-enrolled.

• By comparison, in the calendar year prior to this program (2016), LHDs billed

Medicaid for EBL NCM for only 78 children.

NCM Bimonthly Call Schedule:

• August 20th, 2020 from 1-2 p.m.

• October 15th, 2020 from 1-2 p.m.

• December 17th, 2020 from 1-2 p.m.

• February 18th, 2021 from 1-2 p.m.

• April 15th, 2021 from 1-2 p.m.

• June 17th, 2021 from 1-2 p.m.

• August 19th, 2021 from 1-2 p.m.

• October 21st, 2021 from 1-2 p.m.

• December 16th, 2021 from 1-2 p.m.

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Mi-HHLPSS Tips:

Did you know you can get a complete child report which will show you everything that was documented in the patient’s

record? The complete child report will include all the events, notes, blood lead tests, addresses, and any linked siblings. This

report is available under the “Reports” tab in Mi-HHLPSS. There are detailed instructions on page 82 of the Mi-HHLPSS

User Manual found on www.miclppp.org.

Are you having trouble locating a patient in Mi-HHLPSS? Try typing less to get a larger search result. For example, perform

a search on the first letter of the last name and the DOB. This will provide you with a broader search result for your patient

allow you to find your patient easily. If you still are unable to find the patient, please contact Veronica Tijerina.

Resources:

Have you visited www.miclppp.org?

Miclppp.org is where you will find all the resources available to assist you with your lead poisoning prevention and nursing

case management activities.

1. Lead Education-under this tab you will see all lead education materials that come in the toolkit along with

the superhero poster, and lead Rx pads for providers. Feel free to print the materials yourself or contact us

to have some mailed to you.

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2. Case Management-

• NCM reimbursement documents

• Case management guide, forms, and check lists

• Conference call schedules and meeting notes

• Sample letters

• Training documents, webinars, and PowerPoints

3. Mi-HHLPSS-

• User manual

• Quick guide

• Trainings

• User policy

4. Grantees-

• Local CLPPP grant documents

• Grantee presentations

• In-person meeting materials

• Grantee education documents and materials

5. Lead Safe Home Program-Under Construction

Need Help from CLPPP?

For bulk education materials, toolkits, grantee report submissions, and general questions contact MDHHS-

CLPPP@michigan.gov.

For data requests contact MDHHS-CLPPPData@michigan.gov.

Phone: 517-335-8885