California statutes and regulations impose specific responsibilities on doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants doing periodic health care assessments on children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.

Health care providers are required to provide anticipatory guidance, informing parents and guardians about:

• The risks and effects of childhood lead exposure.

• The requirement that children in Medi-Cal should be blood lead tested.

• The requirement that children not in Medi-Cal who are at high risk of lead exposure should also be blood lead tested.

Refer to the Health Care Provider webpage at the California Department of Public Health’s Lead Poisoning Prevention website for further resources.