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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 20, 2026

MHD Contact: Caroline Reinwald 
Office: (414) 286-3780 
Cell: (414) 308-5556 
[email protected]
 

MPS Contact: Stephen Davis 
Office: (414) 475-8675 
Cell: (414) 688-9664 
[email protected] 
 

CDC to Visit Milwaukee Following Lead Screening Grant Award 
Media Invited to Press Conference at School-Based Screening Clinic 

MILWAUKEE – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) a nearly $400,000 grant to expand lead screening for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students. 

Over the next year, MHD and MPS will use that funding to host a series of school-based lead screening clinics across the district, bringing on-site blood lead testing directly into schools to strengthen early detection and prevention efforts. 

Next week, as part of a multi-day visit, CDC staff will travel to Milwaukee to meet with local partners and observe one of these screening clinics in action. 

Media are invited to attend the press conference, which will take place during the clinic at Keefe Avenue School. 

WHAT: Press conference during ongoing school-based lead screening clinic 
WHEN: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | 11:30 a.m. 

**Media wishing to capture photos or video of the clinic in progress should arrive by 11:00 a.m.** 

WHERE: Keefe Avenue School 
1618 W. Keefe Avenue
Milwaukee, WI, 53206 

WHO: 

  • Mayor Cavalier Johnson 
  • CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch Chief Paul Allwood, PhD, MPH, RS 
  • MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, EdD 
  • MPS Board President Missy Zombor 
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​MHD Commissioner of Health, Mike Totoraitis, PhD 

About the CDC visit and screening effort 
In Fall 2025, the CDC awarded MHD a nearly $400,000 CDC grant to support expanded school-based lead screening for MPS students. MHD is directing the majority of the funding to MPS, which is partnering with NOVIR to conduct on-site blood lead testing in schools. The effort will make screening easier for families and improve access to early detection. A portion of the funding is also supporting the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE) to assist with education and outreach to families about upcoming screening clinics. 

On February 24 and 25, members of the CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance team will: 

  • Review progress on the grant-funded workplan 
  • Provide technical assistance on testing, communications, and program operations 
  • Meet with local and state partners 
  • ​​​​​​​Observe an MPS screening clinic in action 

The visit reflects ongoing collaboration and shared commitment to protecting children’s health and strengthening long-term lead prevention efforts. 

For additional context, MHD has published a blog post reflecting on the past year of lead response work with MPS, including key lessons learned and how the city is moving from response to prevention. 

“Protecting children’s health is one of the most important responsibilities we have at the City,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “This CDC-supported screening effort reflects the work Milwaukee has done over the past year to respond, learn, and move forward. By bringing screening directly into schools, we’re making it easier for families to access testing and ensuring we stay focused on prevention, transparency, and long-term safety.” 

“Student safety is our top priority,” said MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, EdD. “This partnership with MHD and the CDC allows us to bring lead screening directly into our schools, making testing more accessible for families while reinforcing the systems we’ve put in place to maintain safe learning environments. We’re committed to transparency, prevention, and continuous improvement as this work moves forward.” 

“This past year tested our public health system in ways we hadn’t experienced before,” said Milwaukee Commissioner of Health Mike Totoraitis, PhD. “With support from the CDC and strong collaboration with MPS, DHS, and community partners, MHD is able to shift from crisis response to prevention, using what we learned to expand screening, strengthen systems, and better protect children across Milwaukee.” 

Additional information 

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