The Houston Health Department (HHD) requests City Council approval of an ordinance authorizing and approving an agreement between the City of Houston and William Marsh Rice University (Rice) for the City’s Childhood Lead Program. The performance period of the agreement is from date of countersignature by the City Controller through September 29, 2019 with four one-year annual no cost extensions. The total contract amount is $98,712.00.
Rice University will use geographic information system spatial analysis of data from blood lead screening, county tax assessors, and the U.S. Census to predict statistically based lead exposure risk levels mapped at the individual tax parcel unit in the Houston area. Weighted risk factors will be used to spatially locate modeled exposure zones, therefore highlighting critical areas for targeted intervention.
To validate the Lead Exposure Risk Index (LERI), HHD and Rice will:
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Develop descriptive statistics for each Census tract in Houston and assess correlations with LERI values;
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Employ a statistical model to assess the strength of the association between LERI and blood lead levels; and
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Assess the association between the LERI values developed at the Census tract levels with the risk model values developed at the tax parcel level, which can be aggregated at the Census block, block group, or tract scales.
Rice will monitor LERI performance in geographies where legacy and current sources of industrial lead exposure may play a meaningful role in the overall children lead exposure.
HHD through its Bureau of Community and Children’s Environmental Health received federal funding to develop and implement this project.
Fiscal Note:
No fiscal note is required for grant items.
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Stephen L. Williams, M.Ed., M.P.A.
Director, Houston Health Department