FLINT, Mich. – Flint Registry Interviewer Lisa Pasbjerg has lived a life of activism. She began her journey as a high school student, volunteering in and around Detroit. She has traveled around the country and even overseas to provide support for causes she is passionate about. Ultimately, this path lead her to Flint.
“I’ve never really had a career. I’ve just sort of had this crazy life where I’ve dashed around the world as an activist,” she said.
After moving back to Michigan for family obligations, she found herself wanting to help Flint recover from the water crisis. She had been following the crisis as it unfolded, so as it became clear how detrimental the effects were, she set out to lend her support. In 2015, Lisa moved to Flint and began her next activism journey.
While working with Flint Fresh, she learned that the Flint Registry was hiring interviewers. She decided to apply and got the job.
“I was such a nontraditional candidate because of my background, and they recognized what I had to contribute in spite of not being a traditional candidate…I really loved that about joining this particular project,” she said.
What also excited her about the project is that it’s directed by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the person that inspired Lisa’s passion to help support and heal Flint. Dr. Mona is the pediatrician whose research exposed the devastating affects the lead contaminated Flint water was having on children.
“Dr. Mona was a hero of mine. I just loved how she had broken the story, she brought truth to power, she did not back down, she pursued doing her best to get justice for people in Flint… She was the reason I came to Flint, and now I get to work with her on this amazing project that she started,” Lisa said.
Lisa’s job is to help people affected by the Flint water crisis enroll in the Flint Registry by taking a survey, which asks participants to answer a series of questions about their health and experiences in relation to the water crisis.
“The structure of the Registry is set up where we can contact those people directly and be able to connect them to those resources. It is a fantastic asset for the city of Flint,” she said.
Lisa’s job can be done over the phone or in person, but she particularly loves getting to speak with people in person.
“Before the pandemic… I loved doing in person surveys. I would try to get people to come into the Registry to do them because I really like being able to meet those people and see them. It’s much more personal,” she said.
The interactions Lisa has with participants do not 
begin and end with just a completed survey and a “good luck” on getting referred to resources. Lisa takes it upon herself to find ways to assist those who are struggling, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been really important to me to be able to, as a member of the Registry, help get people extra services and extra help during this pandemic time. It’s been a really important part of my process to add to all of the calls, ‘How are you doing with the pandemic. Are you okay? Do you have what you need? Are your children being fed?’,” she said.
If a participant is having an urgent issue, Lisa does what she can to alleviate the problem. Ensuring that people are getting the help they need presently (and many times urgently) is a priority for her.
“Last week was the perfect example of how the Flint Registry is so much more than just collecting the data of the residents of Flint. I started a survey with a resident…I did what I’ve done for the last month. I said, ‘How are you doing coping with this pandemic and the shutdown?’ She burst into tears and said she didn’thave running water and hasn’t had running water since January… So I stopped the interview because it seemed far more important at this point to get this lady water. I got ahold of Alice Barnett, who is the team leader for referrals, and Alice got ahold of someone at the city. That was on a Friday, and by Monday afternoon she had running water,” Lisa said.
Giving residents an outlet to share their stories is an important step in the healing process for the Flint community. Six years after the crisis began, there are still Flint residents that lack clean water, but even those who have replaced pipes still lack peace of mind and trust.
That is why it’s Lisa’s hope that the Flint Registry becomes a permanent fixture for the community to benefit from. She is passionate about continuing her work, she said, because she knows the effects of the crisis are going to last for years to come.
“My goal for the Registry, I hope, is to be part of helping it expand to be this permanent structure within the city of Flint that continues to build these coalitions of community groups and residents and businesses and city government and creates a model city for other people to follow.”