Public Health Playing Role in Flint Response
In Flint, community outcry did not cease after the first signs of trouble with the water. Residents were able to attract the attention of public health researchers and advocates, whose findings were finally kicked up to state and federal levels, before something could be done. The community's insistence on public health action shows the need for advocates to be involved in working toward public health justice, said Gail Christopher, DN, vice president for policy and senior advisor at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and an APHA member. Advocates must help communities to raise their voices and build power.
Public health advocates can go to the source of a problem to address it. The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps arrived in Flint in February to provide medical follow-up visits with kids who tested positive for high lead levels. HHS awarded $500,000 in emergency funding to Flint health centers on Feb. 18, money that will be used to hire additional personnel and provide more lead testing, treatment, outreach and education to meet the community's increased needs. And the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coordinated with the state's Medicaid health plans and providers to enhance blood lead level screening and testing, including mandating testing for Medicaid recipients ages 1 and 2, and offering free water filters and replacement cartridges.
Christopher also said that public health advocates must attack the causes of health inequity, rather than the symptoms. Those include unequal investment in housing, infrastructure and schools. And the communities frequently at the short end of the funding stick, Christopher added, are communities of color — furthering systemic racism that has its roots in the Jim Crow era and before, but that can still be felt today.
Racial healing, Christopher said, is an important part of addressing infrastructure concerns. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation in January announced a multi-year, multi-sector Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation enterprise to support communities working to end racial hierarchy and promote equality.
"This work of transforming our country into a country that respects and provides equitable infrastructure for all communities, this is the work of our democracy, this is the work of our evolution of society and toward our ultimate humanity," she said.
In the wake of the Flint water crisis, APHA is offering a three-part webinar series on water, lead and health. To watch episodes in the series, which kicked off March 16, visit www.apha.org/lead-webinars.
For more information, visit www.phe.gov/flint and www.michigan.gov/lead, To learn more about lead, visit www.epa.gov/lead and www.apha.org/lead.
Nations Health. 2016;46(3):1, 15 © 2016 American Public Health Association
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