Question

Name two Social determinants of health & 2 health disparities in Flint, Michigan. Explain how each affect the people living in Genesee County.

Answer 1

According to WHO the social determinants of health (SDH) are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems. The SDH network across WHO supports action on the SDH.
The SDGs provide a comprehensive blueprint for human development and for systematically addressing the social determinants of health. Two examples are---

On April 25, 2014, the City of Flint, Michigan changed their municipal water supply source from the Detroit-supplied Lake Huron water to the Flint River. The switch caused water distribution pipes to corrode and leach lead and other contaminants into municipal drinking water. In October 2016, Flint residents were advised not to drink the municipal tap water unless it had been filtered through a NSF International approved filter certified to remove lead. Although the city reconnected to the original Detroit water system that same month, the potential damage was already done and a state of emergency was declared on January 16, 2016.

Health disparity

1. Early childhood development: It is the scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their life.

Increased attention on childhood lead exposure in Flint prompted the Flint Medicaid Waiver expansion that allows for coverage of children younger than 21 years and pregnant women who were impacted by the Flint water system and whose income levels are up to 400% of the federal poverty level. The waiver provides these additional groups with access to doctors, behavioral health specialists, nutrition support, and other education and social services. Furthermore, increased attention on childhood lead exposure in general has resulted in additional support for CDC’s CLPPP. The CDC has used the additional funding to expand lead poisoning prevention activities with a goal of re-establishing a robust national program to conduct blood lead surveillance at the state/territorial/tribal/local level, support referral systems for appropriate follow-up services, and implement prevention activities.

2.Social support: Social support is the perception and actuality that one is cared for, has assistance available from other people, and most popularly, that one is part of a supportive social network.

Recognizing the population-wide exposure, the Flint Registry eligibility criteria target individuals who lived, worked, or attended daycare or school at an address serviced by FWS from April 25, 2014, to October 15, 2015, including pregnant women and their prenatally exposed offspring. Based on geo-graphic, census, education, state, and employment data, an estimated 140 000 individuals were exposed to the Flint water and met the registry eligibility criteria. For the highest risk groups including children and residents of Flint, population-based lists identify potentially eligible people for direct mail and telephone recruitment. Recruitment strategies also include a multimedia publicity and outreach campaign leveraging community partners. Several data challenges exist including the number of partners and sources; existing laws and prerequisites for sharing and protecting data; different methods of transferring and exchanging data; and specific elements of obtaining consent.