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2002 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 65
Encouraging the Board of Medicine, the Medical Society of Virginia, and the Old Dominion Medical Society to cooperate in educating the medical profession concerning certain laws and programs relating to lead poisoning prevention.

Agreed to by the Senate, January 25, 2002
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 14, 2002

WHEREAS, the Joint Subcommittee Studying Lead Poisoning Prevention believes that the best solution to this tragic problem is to encourage and initiate cooperation between state agencies and to build partnerships with the private sector; and

WHEREAS, during the 2000 General Assembly session, the joint subcommittee recommended the development, by the Board of Health, of a lead-testing and determination of low risk protocol for the identification of children who are at risk of or have been lead poisoned; and

WHEREAS, during the 2001 session, the Board of Health and the Board of Medicine were requested to cooperate in publicizing this protocol and subsequently, the protocol was published in Board Briefs -- a Board of Medicine newsletter that is distributed to every licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, and podiatry and many other health care practitioners in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, these efforts have helped to educate professionals about lead poisoning and to heighten the awareness of this still existing problem among physicians and others; and

WHEREAS, the Joint Subcommittee Studying Lead Poisoning Prevention wishes to express its appreciation for these efforts; and

WHEREAS, in addition, the Lead-Safe Virginia Program has reached out to various medical professionals and the Department of Health is aggressively implementing Bright Futures--a practical developmental approach to children's health; and

WHEREAS, these efforts also foster partnerships among families, health professionals, and communities and seek to educate professionals about a family and community approach to health care; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee supports the goal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to eradicate childhood lead poisoning by Year 2010; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee believes that educational and public information efforts to enhance citizens' and medical professionals' knowledge and awareness of lead poisoning risks and its prevalence in Virginia are powerful tools in the fight to reach the goal of eliminating lead poisoning by Year 2010; now, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Board of Medicine, the Medical Society of Virginia, and the Old Dominion Medical Society be encouraged to cooperate in educating the medical profession concerning certain laws and programs relating to lead poisoning prevention. The joint subcommittee requests that this cooperation include (i) the requirements of §§ 32.1-46.1 and 32.1-46.2 relating to the Board of Health's protocol for identification of children with elevated blood-lead levels and the requirement to test children in accordance with such protocol for elevated blood-lead levels or to obtain a determination that the children are at low risk for elevated blood-lead levels, (ii) the activities of Lead-Safe Virginia and Bright Futures, and (iii) the partnership between the Departments of Health and Medical Assistance Services to prevent lead poisoning and to improve children's health; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the presidents of the Board of Medicine, the Medical Society of Virginia, and the Old Dominion Medical Society, requesting that they further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective members so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.