FLINT, MI -- Giving medical professionals training on identifying victims of human trafficking could save lives, officials say.
That is why U.S. Sen. Gary Peters wants to see more health care professionals trained in knowing what to look for, and is pushing a bill that would create a pilot program for a medical school to create best practices for intervention.
Peters, D-Bloomfield Twp., made a stop in Flint on Thursday, April 2, at the Genesys Downtown Flint Health Center to push for his new legislation, the Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act of 2015, to help medical professionals identify and stop human trafficking.
"It is a growing problem in Michigan. It's a growing problem in every community," Peters said. "I think that's one of the most important things to realize that most people when they hear about human trafficking think that this is a problem in another country.
"They think this is a problem in another state. It's actually a problem right here in Flint. It's a problem in every community in Michigan, not just Flint... When the stories come out they are shocking but they are real."