Assistant U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Michelle E. Dunwoody is taking on a temporary senior advisor role to Flint Mayor Karen Weaver as the Michigan city continues to grapple with a water crisis, HHS announced on Friday.
Dunwoody will work with Weaver to establish both short- and long-term goals for the City of Flint Public Health and Medical Recovery and work with city officials to outline the job description for a future full-time Flint-employed Public Health official, while providing insight to building and managing public health and medical infrastructure.
“My priority has always been, and will always be, that Flint’s families have the resources they deserve, as well a voice which allows them a say in how their community’s future is built,” Weaver said in a statement. The partnership is "an opportunity to continue building relationships, while ensuring some of our country’s best experts are working with us to find solutions.”
To that end, Dunwoody will also oversee a Corps-based community engagement team.
"Admiral Dunwoody brings a wealth of expertise to expand the technical capability of the Mayor’s office and ensure Flint develops the local expertise needed to help the community recover in the days, months and years to come," HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Nicole Lurie said in a statement.
Nearly 500,000 residents of Flint have been exposed to water contaminated by lead, and currently much of the city is living off of bottled water rations.
The appointment comes after a Commissioned Corps strike force cleared a backlog of blood lead level screening results in partnership with the Genesee County Health Department.
HHS leaders have made several visits to Flint to assess the crisis, including Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Acting Assistant Secretary for Health Karen DeSalvo and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy.
[Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook]
"Ensuring the men, women and children of Flint have the same opportunity as all Americans to live healthy lives is a team effort, and I have seen first-hand just how dedicated city leaders, city and county health officials, and our Commissioned Corps officers have been to that cause,” said DeSalvo in a statement.
The Commissioned Corps are made of up doctors, nurses, scientists and engineers. Over 30 officers have responded to the Flint water crisis; assisting with behavioral health training, supporting volunteers in community engagement efforts, helping to staff the Genesee County Health Department's information line and providing materials to answer callers' questions.
“The people of Flint need clean water. They need medical care. And, above all, they need trusted voices to communicate the best available public health information in the midst of a crisis,” Murthy, Commissioned Corps commander, said in a statement.
Twitter: @JessiefDavis
