When residents of Wichita’s 29th and Grove neighborhood were told their groundwater was contaminated by carcinogens, it wasn’t just an environmental disaster — it was a breach of trust. It shook the foundation that communities are built on: the right to live safely, the right to breathe freely, the right to know the truth.

After tireless advocacy, $3.5 million has been secured to fund health screenings for those affected. It is a needed and important step. But we must be honest: Screenings alone are not justice.

We’ve seen how mishandled recovery funds deepen harm. The national opioid settlements taught us that when money is moved without community voices, it’s often spent inefficiently, unevenly, and inequitably.

Those closest to the crisis must be closest to the power.

The urgency we face right now cannot be overstated. Every day that passes without real action is another day families in our community live with fear, uncertainty, and preventable harm.

That’s why we didn’t wait. Members of the Safe Streets Wichita Coalition, mutual aid groups, and other local community-based groups came together and moved. While officials debated and delayed, we organized free air purifier workshops — providing real tools to our elders, children, teachers, and neighbors in northeast Wichita to help reduce exposure and create healthier indoor spaces.

It wasn’t a perfect solution — but it was something people could use immediately. It was action rooted in evidence, in harm reduction, and in community care. It was the difference between waiting for permission and answering the call ourselves.

Just like during the overdose crisis and early days of the epidemic, our coalition didn’t stand by.

We organized.

We showed up.

Because when lives are at risk, community care cannot wait — and neither will we.

This spirit — the willingness to step up when institutions fall short — has to shape the road ahead. Right now, we have a rare chance to show what real community repair looks like: honest, responsive, and deeply rooted in justice.

If we truly believe that health is a human right, then these dollars cannot be treated like charity. They are just a small down payment on a much larger moral debt — a debt that’s long overdue. The residents of 29th and Grove deserve nothing less.