TY - JOUR
T1 - Voices from Flint
T2 - Community Perceptions of the Flint Water Crisis
AU - Heard-Garris, Nia Jeneé
AU - Roche, Jessica
AU - Carter, Patrick
AU - Abir, Mahshid
AU - Walton, Maureen
AU - Zimmerman, Marc
AU - Cunningham, Rebecca
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding/Support Dr. Heard-Garris is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program. The funders had no role in design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval ofthe manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, The New York Academy of Medicine.
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - We describe the self-reported socioeconomic and health impacts, as well as the coping mechanisms employed by a drug-using cohort of adults during the Flint water crisis (FWC) in Flint, Michigan. Participants from an ongoing longitudinal Emergency Department study were contacted between April 2016 and July 2016 and completed a survey focusing on exposure, consequences, and coping strategies. One hundred thirty-three participants (mean age = 26, 65% African-American, 61% public assistance) completed the survey (37.9% response rate). Of these, 75% reported exposure to water with elevated lead levels. Of these, 75% reported additional monthly expenses resulting from exposure. Almost 40% of parents reported changes in their children’s health and 65% reported changes to their health since the FWC. Participants indicated the use of both positive (e.g., advice from trusted neighbors, 99.0%) and negative coping mechanisms (e.g., increased substance use, 20.0%) in response to this public health emergency. High-risk Flint residents reported multiple social, economic, and health-related consequences stemming from the FWC. Policymakers should consider additional resources for those affected, including increased access to mental health to aid recovery within the community.
AB - We describe the self-reported socioeconomic and health impacts, as well as the coping mechanisms employed by a drug-using cohort of adults during the Flint water crisis (FWC) in Flint, Michigan. Participants from an ongoing longitudinal Emergency Department study were contacted between April 2016 and July 2016 and completed a survey focusing on exposure, consequences, and coping strategies. One hundred thirty-three participants (mean age = 26, 65% African-American, 61% public assistance) completed the survey (37.9% response rate). Of these, 75% reported exposure to water with elevated lead levels. Of these, 75% reported additional monthly expenses resulting from exposure. Almost 40% of parents reported changes in their children’s health and 65% reported changes to their health since the FWC. Participants indicated the use of both positive (e.g., advice from trusted neighbors, 99.0%) and negative coping mechanisms (e.g., increased substance use, 20.0%) in response to this public health emergency. High-risk Flint residents reported multiple social, economic, and health-related consequences stemming from the FWC. Policymakers should consider additional resources for those affected, including increased access to mental health to aid recovery within the community.
KW - Environmental health
KW - Flint water crisis
KW - Health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85017446900&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85017446900&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11524-017-0152-3
DO - 10.1007/s11524-017-0152-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 28409360
AN - SCOPUS:85017446900
SN - 1099-3460
VL - 94
SP - 776
EP - 779
JO - Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
JF - Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
IS - 6
ER -
