The city of Cleveland unveiled a new plan on Friday to address thousands of backlogged lead inspections.
According to a new release, the city of Cleveland was informed by the Ohio Department of Health that 2,997 people tested positive for lead poisoning in Cleveland between 2003 and 2013 . In each of those cases, officials must conduct public health lead inspections.
Since December 2015, inspections have been completed on 1,334 of those backlogged cases.
To tackle the remaining 1,500-plus cases, the city announced partnerships with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Environmental Health Watch and Joe Aude & Associates.
In addition, six temporary employees were hired to research the outcome of each backlogged case.
Health officials say each year at least 2,000 children test positive for lead. Experts blame a large portion of cases on old homes, built before 1978, where lead paint was a standard use.
In 2014, more than 150,000 children tested positive for lead. Of those cases, more than 22,000 occurred in Cuyahoga County.
The city said three full-time people will also be hired to help manage new cases.
