CSSI Launches Community Health Biobank Program in Flint This January

This January 2026, the National Minority Quality Forum’s Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative (CSSI) is launching a new Community Health Biobank program in Flint—an important step forward in advancing earlier cancer detection and expanding prevention-focused care in a community that has endured years of environmental exposure, long-term health uncertainty, and systemic disinvestment.

Flint residents have long carried the weight of unanswered questions about how toxic exposure impacts the body over time. Families have lived through the fear, frustration, and mistrust that comes from being harmed by systems that were supposed to protect them. And for too many people, cancer and chronic disease are not distant possibilities—they are lived realities in their homes, their neighborhoods, and their personal histories.

CSSI’s Community Health Biobank is being launched in Flint to change that trajectory.

A Community-Based Approach to Earlier Detection

CSSI was created to help reduce cancer disparities by shifting cancer detection earlier—before disease becomes advanced and harder to treat. Early detection saves lives, but too often, minoritized and underserved communities are diagnosed later because they face barriers like limited access to screening, inconsistent primary care, transportation challenges, medical distrust, and delayed follow-up.

The Flint Community Health Biobank program will help address these gaps by building prevention and early detection efforts directly in the community, alongside trusted partners, residents, and local leaders.

This program is centered on one core belief: communities like Flint deserve to be part of the future of cancer research and prevention—not left behind by it.

What a Community Health Biobank Means for Flint

A biobank is a program that helps collect and securely store health information and samples that researchers and public health experts can use to better understand disease risk, improve early detection, and develop more effective prevention strategies.

The CSSI Community Health Biobank in Flint is designed to ensure that residents are not simply “studied,” but meaningfully included—so that future breakthroughs reflect Flint’s lived experience, health realities, and environmental context.

This initiative will support efforts to:

• Improve understanding of cancer risk and prevention needs in Flint

• Expand opportunities for residents to participate in research and early detection pathways

• Strengthen community-informed health education and navigation

Most importantly, it creates a way for Flint residents to have their health experiences counted and considered in the data that drives decision-making.

Why Flint, Why Now

Flint is a community with a powerful legacy of resilience. It is also a community that has been forced to fight for basic health protections—often without transparency, timely resources, or sustained investment.

CSSI is launching this work in Flint because prevention cannot be a privilege. Communities impacted by toxic exposure and structural inequity should not have to wait the longest for answers, access, or action.

Cancer disparities do not happen by accident. They are the result of compounded risk, delayed care, and systems that too often treat communities like Flint as an afterthought.

This biobank program is part of a broader commitment to change that.

Join Us in January

CSSI will officially launch the Flint Community Health Biobank program as part of community engagement activities taking place in January 31, 2026, including the Flint Cancer Community Townhall and Mini Clinic. This event will create space for residents to learn more about the program, ask questions, and connect with trusted local partners and health resources.

Flint residents deserve clear information, respectful dialogue, and real access—not just awareness.

CSSI is proud to stand with Flint as we work together to push cancer detection earlier, strengthen prevention, and build a healthier future for the community.

To learn more about the Flint Community Health Biobank program and upcoming events, visit the CSSI website and follow NMQF for updates.