Flint's water crisis, which exposed thousands of children to excess levels of lead, is far from over, but the city is making progress. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Michigan State pediatrician who exposed the crisis, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how an "unfair and preventable health crisis" became an opportunity to address disparities and do better. This focus on secondary prevention actually helped build up public health infrastructure that's now being used in the COVID-19 response. Hanna-Attisha also talks about how COVID-19—another preventable health crisis—could be a wake-up call for the rest of the nation to hold leaders accountable, address disparities, and invest in public health.
KEYWORDS: health equity; racial disparity
Public Health On Call