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S. 2 Ep. 4 - Interview: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha - The Take With Krishna Mano — Transcript

by The Take With Krishna Mano · 3,794 words · 529 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00[Music]
0:05hello everybody Welcome to the take I'm
0:07your host Krishna Mano and in today's
0:09episode I will be interviewing the
0:11pediatrician author of what the eyes
0:14don't see and public health Advocate who
0:16exposed the Flint Water Crisis by
0:18releasing her research on high lead
0:20levels in the city's water none other
0:23than Dr Mona Hannah Atia Dr Mona thank
0:27you so much for taking the time to be on
0:29the show it's an honor to get the chance
0:30to talk to you Krishna I am so excited
0:33to be here with you thank you for
0:35inviting me you're very well known for
0:37bringing your skills as a scientist and
0:40pediatrician and combining it with your
0:42passion for activism and this quality
0:44was first nationally recognized when on
0:47September 24th 2015 you went to a press
0:50conference and revealed that the city of
0:52Flint changing its water source from
0:54Lake hon to the Flint River had caused
0:57the blood blood levels of Flint kids to
0:59D
1:00at this press conference you urged the
1:02people of Flint specifically children to
1:05stop drinking the contaminated water and
1:07in less than a month the government had
1:09switched back to using Lake hon as the
1:11Water Source did you predict what kind
1:13of impact your message might create and
1:16how much opposition and criticism you
1:18might receive oh that is a great
1:20question so uh no I had no idea what was
1:24going to happen um after I shared that
1:26research um but I knew that that
1:28research needed to be shared right away
1:31um kids every day every hour every
1:34minute that went by kids who were
1:36drinking this water Were In Harm's Way
1:38so um there was no choice to then to go
1:42forward and to share this research and
1:44and to demand action so in that moment I
1:47wasn't really thinking about what was
1:48going to happen next I thinking about I
1:50was thinking more about what needed to
1:52happen now um so it was hard to really
1:55kind of make any predictions and and
1:57when I shared that research like as a
1:59scientist and as a the pediatrician I'm
2:00like I'm just sharing science like these
2:03are numbers and facts and like how can
2:06anybody like think numbers and facts are
2:09wrong um so I was not prepared for the
2:12backlash and really the attack on on the
2:15science and and and on me and my kind of
2:18credibility as a scientist and in one of
2:21my previous episodes on the Flint Water
2:23Crisis I talk about how you created the
2:25organization the Flint registry could
2:27you please tell us more about your
2:29organization how it began what all you
2:31have done and where you are
2:33now yeah so the Flint registry is really
2:36exciting so we knew from the moment that
2:38the Flint crisis happened we knew that
2:42we had to do something like I wish as a
2:44doctor I could have like written a
2:46prescription to like take away what
2:47happened like here's a magic pill that
2:50you can take to reverse this you know
2:52exposure to all this bad stuff and kind
2:55of the lying and the Betrayal and the
2:57lost trust but there's not a magic pill
2:59for that um so we knew we had to put
3:02into place working with so many partners
3:04in the community a a structure an
3:07infrastructure to support the people of
3:08flint and that's what the Flint registry
3:11really is all about it's supported by
3:13the Centers for Disease Control the CDC
3:15um we're a designated public health
3:17authority which means our work is to
3:19improve health um and we are trying to
3:22find everybody that was exposed to the
3:23crisis and then they they do a long
3:26survey to see how they're doing and
3:28based on that we connect them to all
3:31these awesome things that we know
3:32improve health like access to a doctor
3:36or mental health care or nutrition
3:38services or home inspection for their
3:40house to get rid of more lead um so
3:43that's kind of what the Flint registry
3:44is all about it's about finding folks
3:46who are exposed but most importantly
3:48getting them connected to services to
3:50improve their public health and I think
3:52the government kind of thought that okay
3:54now that we've switched the Water Source
3:56we're all good but they didn't realize
3:58the impact that the actually caused
4:00within the body like the lifelong
4:03impacts yeah that's that's a really
4:05important point that a lot of people
4:07don't understand including so many
4:09adults is that you know when you're
4:11exposed to something like lead but
4:13really when you're exposed to any kind
4:14of trauma or crisis um you don't have
4:18those symptoms right away like a person
4:20could seem fine right now but maybe in
4:22like five years or 10 years or 20 years
4:25or 30 years or more um or even in the
4:28next generation is when you can see the
4:30manifestations of those kinds of
4:32exposures so that's why it's really
4:34important to stay vigilant to kind of
4:36keep our eyes open um to continue
4:39supporting people to to be proactive
4:43which means to make sure that we are
4:44supporting people before they have all
4:46these problems and if we do that maybe
4:48we we won't see as many problems and as
4:51you bring up in your book like remedies
4:54are important but prevention is more
4:56important than that so how do we ensure
4:58that another FL situation doesn't happen
5:01elsewhere oh well that is a wonderful
5:03and a timely question um so just a few
5:07weeks ago the national infrastructure
5:10bill passed so this was this bipartisan
5:12bill um that is um All About kind of
5:16investing in roads and bridges and pipes
5:18and and because of our advocacy in Flint
5:21um you know for a long time we've been
5:23trying to make sure there's no more
5:24flints and one way to make sure that
5:26there's no more flints is passing
5:28stronger laws and you know like water
5:31laws and investing in kids and doing
5:33different things um but one of those
5:35ways is making sure that we get the lead
5:37out of our plumbing and this National
5:40infrastructure Bill actually includes
5:42the removal of lead from pipes um it's
5:45not all the money but it's a lot of
5:46money it's the biggest Federal
5:47investment in um lead and water in in
5:51the whole country and I got to testify
5:53before Congress a couple months ago
5:55about this water infrastructure bill I
5:56shared the Flint story and I said hey we
5:59don't want any more flints to happen and
6:01so many have happened even since Flint
6:03um so the way that we can prevent this
6:05um prevention is so important you know
6:08investing in doing things before we have
6:10problems is by removing these lead pipes
6:13and passing the infrastructure Bell so
6:15this is really an awesome time um so a
6:18lot a lot of really positive things are
6:20happening to protect kids and as the
6:23Flint water crises showed experience is
6:26always more important than expectations
6:28and many Curr current elected officials
6:31don't have much experience with the
6:33medical field during this Co pandemic so
6:35if you were in a position in which you
6:37could make policy decisions what would
6:39you have done differently with handling
6:41covid-19 as a person who actually has
6:44medical experience oh that's a great
6:46question so it's not just medical
6:47experience it's just also Health
6:49experience so um you know there's folks
6:51that go on to be doctors but there's
6:53folks that also have training in public
6:55health which is how you um handle Public
6:58Health crisis also kind of um how health
7:02issues impact a population doctors are
7:05really trained to take care of like one
7:06patient at a time whereas those in
7:08public health are really trained to like
7:10protect population so it's both of those
7:13expertises that um have been lacking in
7:16policy for a long time and they were
7:18especially lacking in our covid response
7:22um so you know if I was in charge I
7:24would have listened to the scientists
7:27very early um and taken you know their
7:30recommendations I would have made sure
7:31that our decisions were really driven by
7:34what was best for science uh but what
7:36science told us was the best thing to do
7:39um you know so many lessons of Flyn are
7:41the same lessons of the pandemic you
7:42know in Fint we learned that we need
7:44good governance good government that
7:46values Public Health we we learned that
7:49you know we can't keep you know taking
7:51care of problems after they happen we
7:53have to focus on making sure they don't
7:55happen which is which is all about
7:57prevention so in the pandemic you know
7:59that's about addressing disparities and
8:02inequities and making sure people are
8:04healthy um you know and and have the
8:07supports they need before they're
8:09exposed to crisis and and that's not
8:11just addressing things like health and
8:13having a doctor but like the people who
8:15are most impacted by the pandemic um you
8:17know were people that couldn't take time
8:19off for work you know they were living
8:21on a a very low minimum wage and they
8:23had no kind of sck days and so they had
8:26to work and they were Frontline workers
8:29um you know to support their fam so all
8:32of these things made the pandemic worse
8:34because we're not investing in keeping
8:36people healthy um so there's a lot of
8:39things that could have been done um you
8:41know very early on and I think you know
8:42right now um in terms of the pandemic
8:46because it's not over um the most
8:48important thing is is how we listen and
8:51and respect science so right now in the
8:53pandemic what's killing people is is
8:56misinformation it's it's lies um that
8:59they believe that are being spread um
9:01and there there's not you know there's
9:04they're not kind of listening to to
9:05science and what doctors are saying so
9:08how do we combat that virus the virus of
9:11misinformation how do we make sure we
9:13Elevate the voices of those in science
9:15and Healthcare and make sure that facts
9:17are at the front line and speaking of
9:20the covid pandemic did you see any
9:22similarities between the government's
9:24handling of the covid-19 pandemic and
9:26its response to the lead influence water
9:29yeah that's a great question so yeah you
9:31know there was a lot of parallels um you
9:34know in the very beginning of the
9:36pandemic uh scientists were being
9:39silenced and dismissed um scientific
9:42agencies were being kind of politicized
9:45so they they're kind of what they wanted
9:47to do um they weren't allowed to do what
9:49they wanted to do because that's not
9:50what the politicians wanted um so there
9:52were very you know very similar things
9:55and um the pandemic also was worse
9:57because of this long standing failure to
10:00invest in infrastructure and not just
10:02things like pipes but the infrastructure
10:05of what keeps people healthy um so in
10:08Flint we had a failure of infrastructure
10:10like with our pipes but also with like
10:12the capacity of our health departments
10:15and that's kind of the same in in in the
10:17pandemic our our Public Health
10:20infrastructure um our health departments
10:23our State National Health departments
10:25they've been underfunded and
10:27underresourced for a really really long
10:29time we always cut their budgets or
10:32we're like oh that's not important let's
10:33take away more money from them we don't
10:35need them government's bad let's cut cut
10:37cut cut cut and when you cut kind of the
10:40the the funding to these folks that are
10:42supposed to keep us healthy um then
10:44they're not able to respond as quickly
10:46when we have problems like a Water
10:48Crisis or a pandemic and the best part
10:51of your book what the eyes don't see is
10:53that it's both an autobiography that
10:56also gives this background information
10:58and behind the scenes perspective of the
11:00crisis influent for example in your book
11:03you talk about how your parents are
11:05Iraqi immigrants and how that brought
11:07these New Perspectives on situations in
11:09your life what was the most important
11:12quality or lesson about life that your
11:14parents taught you a that's a beautiful
11:16question so yeah you know my book is
11:18weird my book is about flint and being
11:20in the middle of this crisis but it's
11:21also about me and where I came from and
11:24and kind of my family roots and I I
11:26didn't think I was going to write about
11:27that but um when I started to write the
11:30book I'm like I can't really tell you
11:31what I did in Flint and why I became a
11:33scientist and a pediatrician and why I
11:35spoke up without telling you who I was
11:38and where I came from and that that
11:41family history that immigrant story um
11:44makes me see the world a different way
11:47it gives me this perspective of being so
11:50everyday grateful to be in this country
11:52which is the story of so many immigrants
11:54um but it also gives me this other kind
11:56of wide eyes open you know look of of
12:00injustices you know my parents raised me
12:03um very much kind of with the
12:05recognition that there's bad things
12:08happening to vulnerable people and that
12:10wherever you are and whatever you're
12:12doing you have a role to play um to
12:15prevent those bad things so it's almost
12:17like these like this heightened antenna
12:19for Injustice um that I was you know
12:21given and that was kind of instilled in
12:23me as a kid um so you know that
12:27immigrant story is important um and I
12:29know I never thought when I was kind of
12:31writing this book or sharing the story
12:33you know that we would also be at a
12:35point in our country where we're like
12:37thinking about like you know what is the
12:39contribution of immigrants we should
12:40build walls and have these travel bands
12:43and all these different things and I
12:44think including that in my story is
12:46really important because like hey I'm an
12:49immigrant I did good stuff there's
12:51immigrants all over this country this
12:53country was built on immigrants doing
12:55really really great stuff and we have to
12:57remember the amazing contribution of
12:59immigrants in this country and that
13:00feeling of you know fighting for justice
13:02that you were talking about it's clear
13:03in the work that you do and for me
13:06personally as the a son of first
13:08generation immigrants I'd have to say
13:10that it's probably to always respect
13:12those who teach you new skills it can be
13:14your teacher it can be anybody who like
13:16just teaches you something new because
13:18that just gives you like a new aspect of
13:20life and without them you wouldn't be
13:22molded or shaped into who you are today
13:25you'd be just as smart as a rock which
13:27is exactly the brightest B
13:29um but that is that is so so so true and
13:32you know my book is almost like a
13:34tribute to those teachers to you know
13:37from my family to other kind of Legends
13:39in public health or lead or whatever who
13:42may be who I am we we are all products
13:44of kind of generations of teachers who
13:47have given us this opportunity and
13:49sometimes we need to just take a step
13:50back and say thank you to those to those
13:52amazing people who made us who we are
13:54exactly and another thing you say in
13:56your book is that resilience isn't
13:58something that you have or don't have
14:00it's something that you learn was there
14:02a specific situation in your life that
14:05helped teach you
14:06resilience yeah you know that's that's a
14:09great question and I think it's um you
14:12know it's it's it is that immigrant
14:14perspective you know um coming here when
14:16I was four new
14:18country um you know learning a new
14:21culture trying to get app acclimated um
14:24but also being very kind of welcomed you
14:26know where my diversity was celebrating
14:29at that time um but the resilience of
14:32kind of growing up you know with my
14:34parents who um you know couldn't see
14:38their parents couldn't see their family
14:40were living in kind of the state of
14:42Oppression um from all the bad things
14:44that were going back home um and you
14:46know all of those lessons all those
14:47family stories you know of of hardship
14:51um you know instilled in me the the need
14:53to be resilient to to be grateful to
14:57give back to serve
14:59um so I think that's kind of those that
15:02immigrant perspective is what really
15:03taught me the most about resilience MH
15:06and in your book you talk about how you
15:08figured out that in October 2014 Just 6
15:11months after the water source had been
15:13switched General Motors sent a complaint
15:16to the government that the lead in the
15:17water was causing corrosion in their
15:20engine parts could you please share with
15:22the audience your thought process when
15:23you heard about the government granting
15:25this request and allowing GM to go back
15:28to using water from Lake hon I'm glad
15:30you pointed that out because even when I
15:33hear it today like I'm like oh my gosh
15:35like so our drinking water in Flynn was
15:39being used in in um a car plant you know
15:42General Motors was born in Fint and
15:45that's where cars were first made and
15:46they still have a plant there and they
15:49noticed that this water our drinking
15:51water was eating up the car engine parts
15:55it was corroding car parts and the they
15:59decided or they asked to go back to
16:01Great Lakes water um and they were
16:04allowed so General Motors was allowed to
16:06go back to Great Lakes water and the
16:09people of Flint throughout this time
16:10were told to relax that everything was
16:13okay but this water was corroding car
16:16parts but the people of Flint were told
16:18that everything was okay um and you know
16:21that's mindboggling like how could that
16:24be okay that's when the crisis should
16:26have stopped I mean there's many points
16:27where the crisis should have stop stop
16:29but it definitely should have stopped
16:31when there was the recognition of what
16:33this water was doing to car parts that
16:35you know if it's croing car parts then
16:37it's probably also corroding pipes and
16:39it's probably also causing a lot of
16:40other damage and it's really
16:42disappointing to think that the
16:43government would like see a corporation
16:46asking for help and they wouldn't even
16:47think twice about looking at what
16:49happens inside of children's bodies
16:51because of that same water I think it's
16:53um it's an important lesson in in what
16:58we value as a society do we value the
17:01profits of a company more than
17:04vulnerable people uh so I think that's
17:07something that we should um take away
17:09from that story and adding on to this
17:11your book shows a wide array of problems
17:14with the medical and health system in
17:16the US from providing limited resources
17:18to some communities to not holding the
17:21government accountable for their
17:22mistakes in your opinion what is the
17:25biggest lesson we can learn from Flint
17:27Water Crisis
17:29that's a great question so I think the
17:31biggest lesson that we can learn is that
17:33we can make a difference so yeah the
17:36story of Flynn is a story of a crime
17:39right it's a crime committed against
17:40some of the most vulnerable people in
17:42the country but the reason I wrote this
17:44book and the reason I'm I'm here with
17:46you today is to tell you that despite
17:48this Badness a group of people came
17:52together and they said no they're like
17:55we're not going to take this this you
17:57know that we can do better for our kids
18:00and they came together and they they
18:02formed a team and it was people that
18:03don't usually work together like doctors
18:05and engineers and moms and activists and
18:09pastors all came together and said we
18:11we're not taking this anymore and they
18:13fought back and they won um so so that's
18:17the story that I want people to go away
18:19with when they hear Fint not the story
18:21of this crazy Water Crisis and brown
18:23water and government being bad but a
18:25story of how people resisted and they
18:28resisted did and they did better on
18:30behalf of children and have since
18:32created really kind of a community of
18:34hope that has had Ripple effects across
18:37the country like the infrastructure bill
18:39to make sure these kinds of things don't
18:41happen again and like you said the
18:43biggest impact that came out of this was
18:45making a difference just like trying to
18:47show the government that the people too
18:49are powerful and when children like me
18:51hear someone talk but the Flint Water
18:53Crisis the first name that pops into our
18:55minds is Dr Mona the hero and activist
18:58who help the kids in Flint so as you
19:00show in your profession as a
19:02pediatrician and in your book uh you
19:04love working with Children what advice
19:07do you have to kids like me who are
19:09looking for opportunities to make a
19:10difference in the world Christ I don't
19:12have to give you any advice you are
19:14already a superstar and I can't wait for
19:17you to like take over the world um so
19:20you know what kids are amazing you guys
19:23give me inspiration and give me hope if
19:26you look at all the movements that are
19:27happening right now in the world world
19:28is being led by young people you guys um
19:32gun violence movement the climate change
19:34movement black lives lives matter you
19:36are opening your eyes to all these
19:39injustices and you're saying no we're
19:41sick of this we can do better um so keep
19:44using your voice keep being loud keep
19:46doing exactly what you're doing and
19:48Shining Light on all these different
19:50stories um and once again you give me
19:53inspiration and help thank you so much
19:55and if Dr mono's inspiring life stories
19:58and hard work to return water rights
20:00that belong to the people of Flint
20:02interests you you can read more about
20:03her in her book what the eyes don't see
20:06on behalf of my viewers as well as
20:08myself the stories you shared today were
20:10truly inspirational and life-changing
20:12thank you so much Dr Mona for coming on
20:14the show thank you it has been an
20:17absolute pleasure
20:19[Music]

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