Overview
- A nearly $400,000 CDC grant to the Milwaukee Health Department is being directed mostly to MPS to provide free blood lead screening during the school day.
- Health officials plan roughly 30–40 clinics across dozens of schools, aiming to screen up to 8,000 students in the coming months.
- CDC leaders joined city and district officials at Keefe Avenue School as the federal agency renewed support after last year’s request for help was denied when its lead team was temporarily eliminated.
- Initial screening data since spring 2025 show fewer than 5% of students flagged on finger-prick tests and about 1% confirmed elevated through venous testing.
- NOVIR is running the school clinics with venous follow-up at 3.5 micrograms per deciliter or higher, COLE is funded for family outreach, and a separate $750,000 HUD allocation for additional testing has not yet arrived.