For a public health professional, the ability to negotiate and mediate during organizational and community challenges is paramount to success. The ability to clearly communicate information and react to challenges by following clear protocols is essential when guiding during a crisis.
Read “A Case Study of Environmental Injustice: The Failure in Flint”. Assume the role of a public health leader associated with the Flint case study and write a 700 – 900-word paper to address the Flint case study. Address each of the following.
- What is the problem to be resolved or decision to be made?
- Who are the key decision makers and leaders? What is motivating each of them?
- To resolve the problem or come to a decision, what questions must be addressed? What issues must be resolved?
- What are the ethical dilemmas associated with the case?
- What are the primary negotiation and mediation skills you would use to address each question and resolve each issue? Justify your selection of each.
- Explain and justify how you would resolve the issue and communicate the decisions you would make in this situation.
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Introduction:
This paper focuses on addressing a case study of environmental injustice in Flint from the perspective of a public health leader. The Flint water crisis was a highly publicized water contamination problem that happened in Flint, Michigan. For this assignment, we assume the role of a public health leader addressing the Flint case study and discuss the problem to be resolved, key decision-makers, ethical dilemmas, negotiation, and mediation skills necessary to resolve the problem, and how to communicate the decisions.
1. What is the problem to be resolved or decision to be made?
The problem to be resolved is the contaminated water in Flint. The local river, Flint River, was used as the source of water instead of the Detroit supply system, leading to lead contamination of the water, which created a public health problem. This situation threatened the health of all the city residents and demanded immediate attention to resolve the problem.
2. Who are the key decision makers and leaders? What is motivating each of them?
The key decision-makers and leaders in this case study are the local government, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the Governor’s office. The MDEQ was responsible for monitoring the Flint water supply and ensuring it met the safety standards. However, they failed to detect the contamination, which motivated the state-appointed emergency manager to switch from the Detroit supply system to the cost-saving Flint River source. The Governor’s office was also motivated by cost-saving, who approved the emergency manager’s decision to switch the water source. There was no clear chain of command, and many officials downplayed concerns about an outbreak of diseases.
3. To resolve the problem or come to a decision, what questions must be addressed? What issues must be resolved?
To resolve the problem, several questions must be addressed. The questions include identifying the source of lead in the water, establishing why the Flint River source was chosen, enabling the coordination of the MDEQ, the emergency manager, and the governor’s office to work together, and establishing effective communication strategies to inform the public about the crisis and potential impacts.
4. What are the ethical dilemmas associated with the case?
The ethical dilemmas associated with this case include dishonesty and malfeasance on the part of government officials, lack of responsibility, and loyalty to the public. The decision to switch the water supply was bureaucratized, and citizens were not taken into account. Additionally, the response of government officials was slow, given that public health was at risk.
5. What are the primary negotiation and mediation skills you would use to address each question and resolve each issue? Justify your selection of each.
The primary negotiation and mediation skills that could be used include active listening, coalition building, and conflict resolution. Active listening will ensure that decision-makers hear and respond to the concerns of stakeholders while coalition building will allow for alliances to be formed with stakeholders who will support the resolution of the crisis. Conflict resolution will help to bring different parties together when conflicts arise.
6. Explain and justify how you would resolve the issue and communicate the decisions you would make in this situation.
To resolve the issue, I would establish a task force to work jointly with the state government, EPA, and other stakeholders to identify the best course of action to take. I would also establish a communication strategy to engage the affected public, deliver immediate medication to those infected, and ensure the supply of clean and safe water. I would also ensure that the government recommits to fulfilling its responsibility to the community and facilitate the rebuilding of trust with the citizens to ensure that such a situation never occurs again.