Flint, Michigan – The Flint Community Resilience Group, comprised of Genesee Health System, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Michigan-Flint, and a number of community partners are working with the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) CASPER (Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response) survey to see how Flint citizens are doing with resources, continued needs, stress and mental wellness. Fifteen teams of two will be going door-to-door in several neighborhoods within the City of Flint on May 17-19th from 2-7 PM.
The surveys will last 15-20 minutes at randomly selected households. The teams will ask questions such as whether they have filters and bottled water, if they’re using them, and if they need assistance and/or information. They will also ask about their ability to access other needed services, how they’re keeping up with updates, and how they are coping.
Although the citizens interviewed will remain anonymous, survey results will be disseminated to service providers, as well as the general public, in order to better understand the needs of the community. A greater understanding of Flint’s health will help guide services and resources most effectively.
“At this point, we’re hearing about many people who may not be receiving all the help that they need. We also know we don’t always know exactly what the community may need from us and other community service providers,” says Patricia Reynolds, Epidemiologist at Genesee Health System. “This survey will help give us a deeper understanding of what the community requires and will help us and our many partners determine how best to ensure that those needs are fulfilled. We hope that the community will help us in working with these surveyors and providing us with information that can help us help them.”
“The data collected in this assessment will complement the voices of community residents about the health of our community. Together, community residents, public health, health care, and other professionals can identify solutions and resources to address our local health and wellbeing concerns,” said Vicki Johnson-Lawrence, assistant professor of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Michigan-Flint.
Genesee Health System provides services and support to Genesee County residents who are adults and children with developmental disabilities, adults with serious mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbances, and adults and children with substance use disorders, with a focus on the health of the whole person.
