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Study aimed to be crucial step in helping Flint residents in the fight against elevated cancer rates

Written by Tanya Terry

Featured photo: Arthur Woodson (pictured), Flint community activist, brought the idea for a study to a researcher at MSU in Flint. Photo courtesy of Mr. Woodson.

Recent analyses by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ((MDHHS) have indicated that Flint residents experience higher cancer rates compared to the rates of both Michigan residents and Genesee County residents in general. The findings also show that those living in Flint or who have lived in Flint have elevated incidence rates of lung and bronchus cancer, larynx cancer, stomach cancer and prostate cancer.

Dr. Heatherlun Uphold with Michigan State University stated she and her colleagues are hearing from community that the cancers they are being diagnosed with are unusual, such as multiple myeloma, and they’re aggressive. Uphold added that these communities move from being diagnosed to being terminal very quickly – and the cancers are not necessarily responsive to treatment.

Dr. Heatherlun Uphold Photo courtesy of Dr. Uphold

“There is a lot more that should go into the investigation,” Uphold said. “So, we need to look at rarer cancers. We also need to look at a different timeline than what was done in those reports by MDHHS. The reports gave us a great start. But what we’re looking to do with this feasibility study is to lay the groundwork for a larger study that will then tell us in more detail what the other cancers are we might see differences in and to what extent are those differences.”

Uphold stated there is an expert on cancers and environmental exposures on the team that is doing the study, which is critical. Uphold also said the team would certainly be looking at the Water Crisis.

She added: “We’re going to be going to community, in community, and asking them: ‘What are you worried about? What environmental exposures matter to you the most, as it relates to cancer, as it relates to environmental health, and the health of your kids.”‘

Photo by Darina Belonogova on Pexels

The team will first help organize a town hall meeting, which will be planned for later this fall. There will also be focus groups and possibly interviews and/or surveys in order to give residents a variety of ways to share their voices in the work.

The research team is made up of Michigan State doing the work alongside community, as well as their partners at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

“Art Woodson, who is a community activist, brought this idea to a researcher at MSU in Flint,” stated Uphold. “I became a part of the conversation, folks from the health department here in town became a part of the conversation, as well as our partners at U of M.”

Woodson said: “As part of the Flint Communications Group, governmental representatives from the city of Flint, the Genesee County Health Department, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency attended bi-weekly meetings. I raised the alarming number of rare blood cancer deaths in our community. Data was shared that didn’t centralize only Flint residents who were poisoned by the Flint water crisis in isolation.

“I’m relieved we are here now, and curious about the outcomes. This project isn’t just about asking questions – it’s about getting answers that matter. We aim to put resources in the hands of those most impacted (Flint residents) who are traumatized, worried and grieving the loss of loved ones.”

An important partner is the National Minority Quality Forum, which previously hosted community health fairs locally. They have invested in the work as part of their Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative. The initiative is about helping individuals get diagnosed sooner, rather than later.

Photo by Darina Belonogova on Pexels

Uphold stated that even as the team is looking at the data and the number of individuals that get cancer, they will be able to address the other needs that people have while going through a cancer journey. These needs could include needs for information or needs for resources, transportation and housing.

Uphold also explained once the team gets the data they will be looking at it together, translating it and sharing it with existing communication channels. She added that these channels would include the Courier, MSU’s monthly Flint Community Webinar and partner organizations like the Greater Flint Health Coalition, the Genesee Health Plan, the Flint Public Health Youth Academy and other community-based participants.

 

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