Description
by Chris
Chapter 76: Taking Action: Contaminated water and elevated blood lead levels in Flint
Nurses can be successful activists with strong community support. In the case of the Flint water situation nurses were the first to bring up concerns about possible health issues due to the contaminated water. When nurse Loretta Jackson Brown went to Flint to start her investigation, she relied on the public’s opinion of nurses. She would always introduce herself as a nurse first (Mason et al., 2021, p.586). Nurses are one of the most trusted professions, with 78% of adults giving nurses high honesty and ethical standards (Brenan & Jones, 2024). The public considers what the nurse says to be above board and will often rally behind nurses. Nurse Jackson Brown was able to get community support by being empathetic to their situation. People trusted her and knew she would advocate for what was right for the public. Nurse Jackson Brown kept the local community nurses in the loop of what information she received and kept them informed about what she was doing and shared what she had learned from visiting the affected families. By listening to the citizens concerns about the contaminated water, Nurse Jackson Brown was able to establish trust and could educate the community about the health risks of lead exposure and what resources were available to them.
One problem was the government officials put saving money over the welfare of their citizens, despite proof the water was contaminated. Another problem that was resolved was, the Flint government did not want to believe the water was contaminated and did not want to switch to a different water source. They refused to believe the results that were presented to them by researchers. When the researchers presented them with the number of children with elevated blood lead levels, they had to finally acknowledge the water in Flint was contaminated and switch water sources (Mason et al., 2021, p.586).
I would have encouraged the citizens to become involved and vocal when the complaints of the tap water tasting and smelling bad. Also encouraging them to be more informed about what the water quality standards were supposed to be, compared to what theirs actually were.
Nurses are vital to community health education. Taking what we have learned from this water crisis we can better prepare for future public health situations. Educate the public about the possible health issues that can arise from an emergency. Serve our communities as advocates for public health.