This is the daily 2-1-1 summary on the Flint Water Response for Monday, March 14, 2016
GENERAL INFORMATION
- The Flint Water Crisis Community Partners Workgroup meeting times this week:
- Communication Workgroup: Monday, March 14th, 3:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church
- Coordination Workgroup: Tuesday, March 15th, 2:00 p.m., American Red Cross
- Education Workgroup: Tuesday, March 15th, 8:30 a.m., Special Services North (5075 Pilgrim Rd., 48507)
- Flint Community Resilience Group (FCRG) Mental Health Workgroup: TBA
- Sub-workgroups
- FCRG Data & Gap Analysis: Every Thursday, 1:30 p.m., Genesee Health System Board Room
- FCRG Planning & Coordination: Every other Wednesday (NEXT: March 23rd), 10:30 a.m., Genesee Health System Board Room
- FCRG Faith: TBA
- FCRG Stress Management: Every other Wednesday (NEXT: March 16th), 12:00 p.m., Genesee Health System 4th Floor Conference Room
- FCRG Outreach to Special & Vulnerable Populations: Meeting on-line, via e-mail. To become part of this workgroup, please e-mail rkeswick@genhs.org
- FCRG Psychological First Aid (PFA): TBA (for more information, please e-mail kirsch@genhs.org.
- Physical Health Workgroup: Wednesday, March 16th, 3:00 p.m., Greater Flint Health Coalition (3rd Floor, Suite 301)
- Resource Recovery Workgroup: Tuesday, March 15th, 9:00 a.m., Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
- Community Partners Meeting: Thursday, March 17th, 3:00 p.m., Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
Thanks to Red Cross for providing the attached notes from last Thursday’s Workgroup meeting, as well as the most current Flint Community Partners at Work directory.
- MDHHS issued an update on bathing safety stating, “Based on current scientific testing and guidance from local and federal partners, bathing is safe for children and adults served by the city of Flint water system.” MDHHS continues to investigate reports of rashes possibly associated with Flint water exposure. The investigation is supported by technical assistance from the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Genesee County Medical Society dermatologists have volunteered to conduct free dermatological screening exams. Residents with concerns about rashes are encouraged to contact their primary care physician to determine next steps in follow-up care, or call or United Way 2-1-1 for a referral for further screening.
CALL VOLUME
Call summary for the week of March 7 – 13
Calls from Flint and Genesee County residents increased after two weeks of decline, a potential indicator that were are reaching a plateau in the need for assistance.
- 618 callers used the Flint Water prompt to reach a 2-1-1 agent. This is an increase from 542 callers the previous week and is the highest volume since the week of February 22. Flint Water calls accounted for 8.7% of the 7100 calls to 2-1-1 last week. For context, the City of Flint is roughly 1% of the state’s population.
- A total of 833 Genesee County residents (including Flint residents)called 2-1-1, down from 911 calls a week ago.
- 588 referrals were provided, down from 721 the previous week. The average number of referrals dropped to 0.95 per call, indicating a significant increase in the number of ‘Information Only’ calls from residents seeking address or meeting information without the need for a specific referral.
- Drinking water, individual lead testing and water sample testing continue to be the most common referrals requested.
- 6 calls were to donate or volunteer – 0.97% of Flint-related calls,
- There were 26 unmet needs, essentially unchanged from the 25 unmet needs last week.
SPECIAL NEEDS/REQUESTS
- MSU College of Veterinary Medicine will provide free Lead Testing For Dogs on Saturday, March 19 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the parish hall of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 711 S. Saginaw St. Testing is free for Flint residents. The test consists of a blood draw of roughly one tablespoon and results typically come back in three weeks. The test will check for lead, and other metals including copper, mercury, zinc, iron and mercury. Contact St Paul’s Episcopal Church at 810-234-8673 for more information about the event. Questions about pets and lead may be directed to leadteam@cvm.msu.edu.
RUMOR/SCAM CONTROL
- The Attorney General’s Office investigates reports of potential scams. These can be reported to the Charitable Trust Section at ct_email@michigan.gov. The AG has tips on how to avoid falling victim to con artists at http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-164-17337_20942-375279–,00.html.
UNRESOLVED
- From 2/29/16: The City of Flint Water Plant can no longer handle water sample pick-up/drop-off for homebound residents due to increasing demand. 2-1-1 is coordinating with the Water Plant to identify another option for serving these residents and will provide updates until we confirm a solution. In the meantime, please do not refer homebound callers to the Water Plant for assistance. Have them call 2-1-1.
- From 3/3/16: CAN FLINT WATER DEPARTMENT OR ANOTHER PARTNER CONTACT 2-1-1 WITH INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS FOR FORMER RESIDENTS TO RECEIVE A WATER BILL CREDIT?
From 3/8/16: CAN SEOC OR THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE PLEASE ASSIST WITH A RESPONSE TO THE FOLLOWING COMMUNITY REQUESTS:
- The Community Partners Communications Workgroup is asking for guidance from the State of Michigan on the following issues:
- What affects does heat/time have on the plastic water bottles?
- Regarding the side-effects of lead: On average how soon do symptoms appear?
- Who is testing the samples provided by residents? Is more than just lead and copper levels being tested? If so what is being tested?
- Will lead be passed on to recipients that received blood, organs or plasma from Flint donors?
- From 3/8/16: The Community Partners Communications Workgroup requested additional information on safe gardening practices to disseminate to the community.
- From 3/8/16:The Communications Workgroup requested a diagram or org chart of the crisis response mechanism and how all parties work together, including JIC, EOC, SECO, UCG,CHECC, ACE, CDC, EPA, DEQ, HHS, DHHS, FEMA.
- From 3/8/16:The Communications Workgroup requested coordination by state, federal and local governments on the distribution of information related to the Flint Water situation and the response, emphasizing the community doesn’t want multiple information documents for every department. They are asking for one consistent document on key issues and a mechanism to provide feedback to government entities prior to releasing information.
