How Student Nurses are helping conduct Lead-Tests at Flint?
Flint, Michigan community has been struggling due to the contamination of their water supply since the city, which was under state financial management, began drawing its drinking water from the Flint River in 2014 to save money. It has been reported that in Flint anytime from April 2014 to today if one has drank the water, eaten food cooked with it, washed their clothes in it, taken a shower, brushed their teeth or eaten vegetables from someone’s garden, they have been exposed to and ingested its toxins.
An event was conducted at Richfield Public School Academy, where Flint parents who were worried about the city’s lead contamination could bring their children for testing.
The nursing students and faculty members from UM-Flint, who drew and tested blood, also provided educational materials to parents. They have been a huge assist to the overworked Genesee County Health Department as it has been testing tens of thousands of people for lead exposure since the crisis was reported. Around 150 representatives of the university volunteered at clinics in February and March, as per reports. Volunteers have shown that need for healthcare and nursing go outside hospital walls .The overworked health department has gotten help administering lead tests from nursing faculty and students from UM-Flint.
Large populations of children about 8,000 under age 6 have been potentially exposed to lead. Officials failed to treat the corrosive water properly to prevent lead from leaching from old pipes into homes and businesses.
Elevated lead levels have been found in more than 200 children and 100 adults in Flint, a worry since lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems. From Oct. 21 to March 25, about 20,000 people of all ages in Flint had been tested for lead, state officials say.
Results so far have not been very good and the clinic is urging people to get more tests done and have doctors’ visits.
