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Milwaukee – The Common Council voted this week to investigate the Milwaukee Health Department and its management of the city’s lead abatement efforts.
The resolution was approved unanimously by aldermen and directs the council’s Steering and Rules Committee to conduct the investigation. .
The move came after Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan Baker left his job at City Hall last week as news broke that his department failed to follow up and provide services to the families of thousands of children who had tested positive for lead.
Describing the lead situation “a public health crisis” and accusing city leaders of stone-walling his attempts to get lead testing records, activist Robert Miranda said, “The removal of (Health) Commissioner Bevan Baker is not the end-all be-all. It’s not even the peak of the iceberg. We have a massive coverup in this city over lead in our water.”
The mayor indicated every year approximately 25,000 children receive blood lead tests from a clinic or health provider. In Milwaukee, Barrett said around 3,000 of those tests come back as “elevated.” Barrett said each health provider has a duty to notify any families of results indicating elevated lead levels — and then conduct follow-up testing. The mayor believes this has indeed been happening.
Sarah Zarate, director of public health planning and policy, said city officials were focused on the period from 2015 to 2017 because there was a “significant drop in documentation of service levels in 2015.”
Late last month, a former employee, Benjamin James, emailed Barrett and all 15 aldermen complaining to them about what he called a retaliatory work environment at the department and problems with the city’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
James wrote in his Dec. 28 email that he had repeatedly “questioned the lack of water testing at lead-poisoned children’s homes” despite assurances from health officials.
In addition to the investigation, the department may soon face an independent audit.
