Welcome
In this year’s annual report, we reflect on the work of the Flint Registry to support recovery from the water crisis. We share the stories of those who have participated and how those stories have impacted other communities around the country. We also present data on the top health concerns affecting families and how the Flint Registry is improving the health of the Flint community. We invite you to read the full Flint Registry 2023 Annual Report here.
THE HISTORY OF THE FLINT REGISTRY
Looking Back, Moving Forward
On April 25, 2014, Flint’s drinking water source was changed from the pretreated Great Lakes water to locally treated Flint River water. Due to a lack of proper corrosion control treatment, Flint residents were exposed to lead-contaminated water. Lead is a neurotoxin that can impact all systems of the body and lead to health problems. To respond to this emergency and prepare for the potential long-term health and child development consequences of the water crisis, local partners in the Flint community came up with the idea of a registry for people exposed to the crisis.
The Flint Registry
and Community
Community Voice: In Flint, By Flint, For Flint
Members of the Flint Registry are part of a community-wide partnership to improve public health after the water crisis. The Flint Registry was designed, built, and implemented with a goal to include and elevate community voices. At the center of this work is the Flint Registry Community and Partner Advisory Board (CAB), which is co-chaired by Dr. Lawrence Reynolds and Dr. Kenyetta Dotson. The CAB was established in 2018 to promote communication, increase community awareness, and coordinate activities to benefit those served by the Flint Registry.
COMMUNITY VOICE AND THE FLINT REGISTRY
- Flint Registry Community and Partner Advisory Board
- Parent Partners
- Flint Youth Justice League
- Community Events
- Community Ambassadors
- Community Ethics Review Board
- Community Focus Groups
- Pre-enrollment Survey
- Director of Community Implementation and Engagement
REASONS PEOPLE JOINED THE FLINT REGISTRY
From the beginning, the Flint Registry has been driven by community voices. A decade after the water switch, these voices will continue to guide and light the path forward for Flint.
FLINT REGISTRY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
By hosting gatherings, participating in events, and partnering with local initiatives, the Flint Registry focuses on engaging and connecting with the community where they live, work and play.
Community outreach is an important aspect of keeping Flint Registry members informed, connected, and engaged in the long-term effort of improving public health.
(Clockwise) Annual Flint Teddy Bear Picnic with MSU College of Human Medicine; School Garden pop ups at Flint elementary schools with Crim Foundation and Food Corp; Flint Registry interns volunteering at a park beautification.
Every Person, Every
Story is Important
The Flint Registry continues to learn about health concerns in people impacted by the water crisis.
As of July 31, 2023, there were 21,492 Flint Registry members. Each member completes a detailed health survey when they enroll.
FLINT REGISTRY MEMBERS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR HEATH
Over a third of Flint Registry adults rate their mental health as fair or poor, and almost 40% rate their physical health as fair or poor.
FLINT REGISTRY PARENTS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR CHILD’S HEALTH
Over 16% of parents report that their child’s mental health is fair or poor and almost 10% rate their child’s physical health as fair or poor.
The Impact of
the Flint Registry
Ten years after the source of Flint’s drinking water was switched, it is vital to acknowledge the impact on individuals and the entire community.
By establishing the Flint Registry, a community’s voice was advocated for and amplified. Through the survey and sustained engagement, the Flint Registry can walk hand-in-hand with those impacted by the Flint water crisis, mitigate the effects of lead, and provide a better future near and far.
THE FLINT REGISTRY CONNECTS ENROLLEES TO CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES
Members who join the Flint Registry receive referrals to services and programs. Flint Registry staff process these referrals and work to make sure that needs are met. From December 2018 through July 2023, the Flint Registry made 34,584 referrals to 15,104 adults and children to services to reduce the impact of lead exposure.
TOP REFERRALS BY PROGRAM TYPE FROM ENROLLMENT SURVEY
AFTER ENROLLING IN THE FLINT REGISTRY, MEMBERS REPORTED SOME IMPROVEMENTS.
We asked Flint Registry members to complete a one-year follow-up survey to see how they were doing and to make additional referrals to services. Those referrals were focused on benefits programs from the State of Michigan as well as services improving access to care. The one-year follow-up survey was available from January of 2020 through July 31, 2022, and 7,204 participants completed the survey.
Future Flint Registry Work
New Membership Advisory Council
The Flint Registry is launching a new Membership Advisory Council made up of Flint Registry participants who want to get more involved. They will serve an important role in future work by being a strong voice on community needs, helping to keep members engaged, designing future health surveys, and advising on referral strategies.
FUTURE SURVEYS AND ONGOING SUPPORT
The Flint Registry remains open for enrollment and will continue to support individuals impacted by the Flint water crisis. We are committed to the long-term work of recovery. Future surveys and sharing results and stories are a few of the ways the Flint Registry connects, supports, and counts its members.
Our next full follow-up survey will be open to all members and will launch in the winter of 2024. Additional mini surveys will be sent to members throughout 2024. Current registry members can make sure their contact information is up to date by calling us at 1-888-GO-FLINT.
Flint Registry Taking Action
FLINT LEAD FREE
The Flint Registry supports the Flint Lead Free workgroup made up of public, private, and nonprofit members with a shared mission of lead elimination. In 2021, Flint Lead Free joined with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Flint Healthy Homes group based on their shared goals. The focus of Flint Lead Free’s efforts is eliminating lead sources to prevent exposure. This primary prevention contributes most significantly to health and development outcomes and to lifetime savings on societal, healthcare, and education costs. Click here to learn more about Flint Lead Free.
SHARING STORIES WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES
Flint has a history of paving the path forward. From establishing itself in fur trade and carriage making to the auto industry and groundbreaking public school system, Flint knows how to reinvent, revive, and thrive. Now, by showing the world what community-driven public health can look like, Flint is once again a model city. Leading the way with tenacity, resiliency, and hope.
The water crisis in Flint opened the nation’s eyes to the fragility of our drinking water infrastructure and the unfinished work of eliminating childhood lead exposure. From Newark, New Jersey, to Benton Harbor, Michigan, the Flint Registry and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha continue to support and inform communities across the country facing similar issues.
WORKING TO GET THE LEAD OUT OF OUR DRINKING WATER SYSTEM
This long-term effort places Flint at the center of community advocacy and improving public health. The stories of the Flint community shared through the Flint Registry have led to policy and regulatory changes across the State of Michigan and the United States.
- In Michigan, schools and daycare facilities must install filters to protect children’s drinking water.
- Michigan also updated its Lead and Copper Rule to lower the action level, improve testing procedures, and require replacement of lead service lines by 2038.
- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used Michigan’s model as it proposed its own updates to the federal Lead and Copper Rule, which were introduced in November 2023.
INSPIRING NEW PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES
Flint Registry families told us that they were dealing with economic stress. In response to their stories, a new program was launched. On January 10, 2024, pregnant moms and newborns in the City of Flint started enrolling in Rx Kids, the first citywide maternal and infant cash prescription program in the nation.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
The Flint Registry exists to connect, support, and count those impacted by the Flint water crisis. Ten years after the water switch, Flint continues to come together and forge a way forward to a better tomorrow. Over 21,400 people shared their experience and joined the Flint Registry. This resulted in a deeper understanding of the impact of lead, a community’s voice being heard, and nearly 35,000 referrals to services and resources through July 31, 2023.
The Flint Registry is doing what it was designed to do: improve public health.
PARTNER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Flint Registry would like to especially thank partner organizations, our Community and Partner Advisory Members, and our Congressional partners who advocated for federal programming for Flint after the water crisis.