About the Project
This story began as a simple investigation into increasing ambulance calls to the downtown area. It soon developed into much more. This project is the result of three months of interviews, analyzing a considerable amount of data, and spending more than a combined total of 45 hours riding along with paramedics. We gathered roughly 12 hours of video and some 2,300 photos while observing interactions among patients, law enforcement, and emergency responders.
Daily Iowan print, TV, and online reports rely on the following: interviews with Johnson County Ambulance Service Director Steve Spenler; paramedics Jason Andrews, Ben Caskey, Dave Dvorsky, Joseph Frederick, Dieter Friton, Darrin Hayes, Cody Jacobsen, Bob Libby, Justin Mather, Kristina Swanson; local alcohol experts Peter Nathan, John Neff, Angela Reams and Michael Takacs; Partnership for Alcohol Safety members Doug Beardsley, Scott Ketelsen, Chuck Peters, and Victoria Sharp; former Stepping Up Executive Committee Chair Jim Clayton; Iowa City police Sgt. Troy Kelsay; Assistant Vice President for UI police Chuck Green; UI Provost Wallace Loh; data from the 2008 Status Report for the Iowa Bureau of Emergency Medical Services; AlcoholEdu 2008-2009 key findings; Iowa City police public intoxication records; Johnson County Ambulance Service statistics; and the U.S. Census Bureau; reports on “Alcohol Use in our Community” by Health Iowa; “Binge Drinking at the UI” by Nathan; “Effects of Increased Alcohol Accessibility on College Student Drinking: A study of Iowa City from 1983-2005” by Dana Figlock, Jerry Suls, and Nathan; “Iowa City and University of Iowa Alcohol-related Ambulance Calls and Emergency Room Visits” by Neff; “University of Iowa Health Assessment Data” report from spring 2009; as well as some off-the-record interviews.
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