Flint's Dr. Mona: Why didn't Obama bring resources to fix problem? Rochelle
Riley , Detroit Free Press Columnist Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha was torn. As
President
Barack Obama offered a weary city words of hope and encouragement, she suddenly
heard him say that "as long as kids are getting good health care, and folks
are paying attention, and they're getting a good education, and they have
community support, and they're getting some good home training, and they are
in a community that is loving and nurturing and thriving, these kids will be
fine. And the pediatrician who gained international attention for helping
to reveal the extent of the Flint water crisis and who has made developing
interventions for thousands of children poisoned by lead-laced water her
mission,
became worried. "He was trying to deliver a message of hope, that they're going
to be OK," she said. "But They're only going to be OK and they're going
to be better than OK but that can only happen if we get the resources we need
to protect them and to make sure we can mitigate the impact of the exposure,"
she said. "And that was not guaranteed. He guaranteed us OK, but he did not
guarantee us the resources to make sure they're going to be OK. Two years after
Flint began forcing residents to use untreated, lead-laced water, the state-run
city is struggling to fix a tragedy that has gained global attention. Things
are better than they were when Gov. Rick Snyder finally acknowledged last fall
that the Flint water crisis was real. But an impatient population wants
quicker results. "It was amazing that he was there, and he was listening and
his message was spot on on the role of government," Hanna-Attisha said. "But
there's no money that came with it. Hanna-Attisha's comments were echoed across
Facebook pages and in conversations across the state. But she, like elected
representatives of Flint, want to make clear that they don't blame the
president for Flint's crisis. They're reaching out to Obama because of their
lack
of faith in the governor, whose emergency managers oversaw the water
sourceFlint switch from Lake Huron to the Flint river without treating the
water.
"I talked to a lot of people who were really, really upset" about the
president's speech, Hanna-Attisha said. "They were happy until he drank the
water
and said everything was going to be OK (in the future) because there are people
hurting now. Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that the president did what
she needed right now: brought attention to her city that had been waning since
Democratic presidential candidates brought a national spotlight to the
struggling
city, then took it with them when they left. "I don't want people to think
there is division between myself and the president," Weaver said. "He came and
supported Flint. He lifted our spirits emotionally and kept the spotlight on
us. Hanna-Attisha agreed. "I can't reiterate enough that people need hope.
They need to know their kids will be OK, and if we do all these things, they
are going to be OK," she said. "I agree with his message of hope and empowerment
and resilience but we don't have the resources or the long term commitment to
guarantee that that will be the outcome. Hanna-Attisha is right: The people
of Flint need hope but they need help that is tied up by typical red tape and
rule. But here is where Hanna-Attisha also is right: If the president is
going to do something drastic even more than he and Weaver spoke about behind
closed doors (She declined to give details), he must hurry. The Flint water
crisis is no joke. It is not going to be OK because the president drank a glass
of water because Donald Trump, if elected, isn't going to drink a glass
of water in Flint. The Flint water crisis is no joke. And it's not just about
lead. It's about Legionnaires' disease and rashes and dangers yet to be
completely
understood. I can still see the scars on the little face of Sincere Smith who
became the image of this national tragedy on the cover of Time magazine.
We don't know all that we don't know. Scientists are still studying Flint. The
president was right to encourage; he was right to assuage fears. He was
right to demand that the state step up and do more because it is the state's
job. And the state finally, after months of inaction and the threat of criminal
charges that finally came last month, is doing that. But the president also
must keep an eye on the calendar. If he is going to declare that the children
are going to be all right, he must be mindful that he won't be able to do
anything come January. Mona Hanna-Attisha was thrilled that the president came
to Flint. She wanted the Constitution changed so he could run for a third term.
She's a fan. But she also is courageous enough to say that while Flint
needs hope, it also needs resources. And leaders from Washington to Lansing to
Flint's City Hall must continue to work with urgency and fear and fortitude
to make sure the children of Flint are not forgotten and that they get all they
need to be fine.
