From the Upper Peninsula to Detroit, too many Michigan residents struggle with preventable illnesses that are directly linked to industrial pollution and environmental degradation.
Behind Michigan’s high rates of asthma, lead poisoning, and childhood obesity lies an environmental trigger -- air pollution, poor drinking water quality, and the millions of residents who lack access to fresh, nutritious food.
We believe it’s time we treat the root causes of Michigan’s public health crises, not simply the symptoms. MEC’s work focuses on connecting the dots between diseases and their environmental causes. Our objective is to secure meaningful policy victories that improve the health of all Michiganders, especially those most vulnerable -- children, low-income populations and the communities of color who disproportionately bear the brunt of industrial pollution.
Few people know about the complexities and importance of good environmental health than MEC's Tina Reynolds, program director. Reynolds has spent years building up coalitions inside and outside the Capitol, bringing an environmental perspective into the clinical health sector.