• Nia Jeneé Heard-Garris, Jessica Roche, Patrick Carter, Mahshid Abir, Maureen Walton, Marc Zimmerman, and Rebecca Cunningham.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Michigan Medical School, North Campus Research Complex 2800 Plymouth Road Building 10, Room G016, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA. niaheard@umich.edu.
• J Urban Health. 2017 Dec 1; 94 (6): 776-779.

AbstractWe 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.

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