Flint, MI— A research program in Flint is helping Black elders learn about their health needs through events and workshops, providing valuable information and resources.
The Healthier Black Elders Center (HBEC) in Detroit collaborates with Michigan college researchers to tackle health disparities affecting Black elders in the community.
HBEC is a part of the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR).
“We were able to assemble this powerhouse advisory board of older adults and folks who work in senior serving organizations within the community who are well connected,” said Dr. Jamie Mitchell, co-investigator community core leader of MCUAAAR.
Mitchell said she saw an opportunity to extend HBEC’s mission and create a similar research program for Flint, Healthier Black Elders (HBE), after receiving a funding opportunity through the National Institute of Aging (NIA).
“They were sitting on boards of Community-Based Organizational Partners (CBOP) and of the Valley Area Agency on Aging (VAAA), so folks who are really invested in the health and wellness of older adults are aboard to help us make decisions with this.”
Before starting HBE, Mitchell contacted Dr. Kent Key, Executive Deputy Director of CBOP, to establish the need for a senior citizen program like HBE in Flint.
“The idea of having something that was going to benefit elders in Flint was ideal at the time,” said Key. “When the water crisis happened, all of the media focus was on kids and pediatrics and so having a program that was able to look at the needs of elders was filling a gap because there was a period when the elders felt left out post-the water crisis.”
CBOP is a nonprofit organization that assists underserved communities in obtaining resources for health and social justice initiatives.
Key now works as a community leader with HBE.
Cynthia Howell, who also works for CBOP, is HBE’s outreach coordinator. She focuses on providing elders with resources at various HBE events.
“Wherever there’s a workshop or anything going on in the community, I show up, I put a table together, I have all our resources, and then I like to add some of my own little tidbits for the seniors,” Howell said.
Howell says despite senior citizens’ apprehension about granting access to their personal information for research purposes, they feel more comfortable with the process after being approached by a trustworthy person.
HBE is working to create an extensive research pool of Black elders who are interested in participating in noninvasive research. No blood draws or DNA swabs will be used; only information will be gathered.
Mitchell projects that the registry through HBE will open to vetted researchers from local colleges and universities by late 2024 who want to conduct aging research that represents the underrepresented public.
But, she says researchers must be transparent when presenting studies on Black elders and welcome inclusivity.
“I feel like the onus is really on the researchers and on us at our local research universities, including Wayne State University, Michigan State University, University of Michigan-Flint, and all the other campuses — to say we are doing this research, and we want this research to be inclusive,” Mitchell explains.
Community members who have signed up for HBE programming will receive newsletters about local events, such as those at Hasselbring Senior Center or “Senior Power Day,” which took place on May 22, 2024.
“Our plan is to be here for the long haul,” Mitchell stated. “We are working on a new funding opportunity to fund us for another five years, fingers crossed. We are here until 2025 on the current funding, and we really wanted to build something that would be long-standing and trustworthy in the community.”
There will be an HBEC Resource Fair on Aug. 8, 2024, at Fellowship Chapel in Detroit, MI.
Visit here to sign up for upcoming HBEC events and programming.