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Transcript of Medical Amnesty University of Wyoming - University of Wyoming's ...
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING’S EXPERIENCE WITH(OUT) MEDICAL AMNESTYLena Edmunds, MPH, CHES
AWARE Program Coordinator
MEDICAL AMNESTY JOURNEY AT UW
Process that lasted nearly 1 ½ years (Nov 2006 to March 2008)
Student-initiated discussions about Medical Amnesty began in November 2006
Very controversial subject and coalition divided
Formed a sub-committee, reviewed other policies, collected UW-specific data, consulted with other schools, presented to student government
Ultimately agreed on a resolution not to pursue a medical amnesty policy at UW
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING Public land grant university Only 4-year institution of higher education in Wyoming Approximately 10,000 students Located in southeast corner of Wyoming, in Laramie, population
29,000. Student Health Service on campus open M-F, 8-5 Campus police department with sworn officers
ALCOHOL ISSUES AT UW UW
NCHA Data 2007
Reference Group Data 2007
Students who don’t drink 17.2% 18.6% Students who report alcohol is negatively affecting academics
11.6% 7.7%
Students binge drinking within past two weeks
47.5% 38.2%
Students driving after having 5 or more drinks in past 30 days
12.2% 5.8%
Average BAC of people arrested by UWPD
0.19% N/A
Sources: National College Health Assessment, Spring 2007, 2007Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, May 2007
ALCOHOL ISSUES AT UW CONT’D
Average of 298 students per year referred to AWARE Program for alcohol education/prevention services
Hospital emergency room admissions: Nearly half of people admitted to ER for alcohol
poisoning in 2005 were UW students Eighteen percent were under age 21
ALCOHOL VIOLATIONS AT UW
Student receives ticket from UWPD, and/or
Judicial file started, student sanctions include: paper, community service, AWARE Program
Student receives ticket
Referred to AWARE by local judge
Sometimes judicial consequences
On-Campus Off-Campus
A-TEAM COALITION A-Team Campus-Community Coalition
Membership includes students, staff, administrators, community members
Mission: develop, recommend, and assess best practices in policy, prevention/intervention, and enforcement to reduce underage drinking and excessive alcohol use
STEP ONE: RESEARCH
Findings: field lacks adequate research about medical amnesty policies
Decision: survey UW students to help make data-driven decisions
UW STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS
Questions added to NCHA, administered to a random, stratified sample in Spring 2007
N=336 (18-20 year olds) 83.3% had taken care of a drunken friend in
last 12 months 14.9% thought about calling for medical help
12% actually called for medical help
RESULTS, CONT’D
Didn’t call: Didn’t want to get that person in trouble (24.5%) Didn’t want to get self in trouble (20.4%) Wasn’t sure person was sick enough (60.0%) Repeatedly checked on person (80%) Turned the person on his/her side and left
him/her alone (29.2%) I made sure I stayed with the person (69.4%)
COMMENTS
“This kid had done it before, so we rolled him half in, half outta the shower and checked up on him from time to time.”
“People get drunk all the time, they don’t necessarily need to go to the hospital.”
“I am trained for first aid and CPR.” “She wasn’t that sick.” “He can handle his own, and the bar still
served him so…”
STEP 2: REVIEW POLICIES
School policies Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Emory,
Hanover College, Keystone College, Lafayette College, Dartmouth, University of Colorado-Boulder, College of William and Mary
State legislation Colorado: House Bill 05-1183 (6/3/2005) North Dakota (Century Code Title 5. Alcoholic
Beverages Chapter 5-01-09.)
COLORADO LEGISLATION
An underage person and one or two other persons shall be immune from criminal prosecution…if they establish the following: One of the underage persons called 911 and
reported that another underage person was in need of medical assistance due to alcohol consumption
The underage person who called 911 and, if applicable, one or two other persons acting in concert with the underage person who called 911 provided their names to the 911 operator
COLORADO LEGISLATION CONT’D
The underage person was the first person to make the 911 report; and
The underage person and, if applicable, one or two other persons…remained on the scene with the underage person in need of medical assistance until assistance arrived and cooperated with medical assistance and law enforcement personnel on the scene.
NORTH DAKOTA
Similar to Colorado’s legislation Maximum number of individuals that may be
immune for any one occurrence is five, including the person in need of medical assistance
OTHER SCHOOLS
More private than public Twenty-four hour health service on campus No formal judicial/disciplinary actions taken,
but “conditions” Can still receive legal consequences Does not preclude disciplinary action
regarding other conduct violations (i.e. property damage, assault, etc.)
STEP 3: PRESENTATIONS
A-Tem Presentation to UW student government Invitation to attend presentation by Ft. Collins PD Very little interest expressed
Presentation by City of Ft. Collins Police Officers (home to Colorado State University) to A-Team (Dec 2007) Very few instances where it has been used (less
than 50 since June 2005), mostly officer-instigated
Not well known among officers nor underage individuals
Poor student involvement/interest
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
Jurisdiction? (campus, city, county, state) Definition of “Trouble”? Amnesty from what? No ticket? No judicial
sanctions? No education? Who? (Intoxicated student? Student who
called? Others?) Legal versus judicial?
Changes in state statutes? Officer discretion?
CONCLUSIONS
Process brought many constituencies together to agree on a resolution Written report of findings Increased education on signs/symptoms of
alcohol poisoning Social marketing on importance of seeking help
for a dangerously intoxicated person If policy were pursued, should be spearheaded
by students Should be a statewide initiative, pushed through
the Wyoming legislature
UW WITHOUT MEDICAL AMNESTY
Student transported to hospital Sometimes given a ticket, sometimes not If on campus, a judicial file is opened and
they are sanctioned to receive educational services through AWARE Program
UNANTICIPATED POSITIVE OUTCOMES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
More people on board that became experts Came to agreement on a controversial
subject Educational process for all Future medical amnesty possibility? Increased education on alcohol poisoning
signs Will continue to collect data with NCHA
survey Discussion among senior administrators,
legal counsel
MEDICAL AMNESTY POLICY ASSUMPTIONS
“Students can identify symptoms of alcohol poisoning
Students understand the risk associated with the symptoms of alcohol poisoning
Students responsible for help-seeking are sober enough to adequately judge the level of risk involved
Students are currently not calling for help due to fear of getting in trouble with the university
Students will be more likely to call for help if they are assured that they will not get in trouble.”
Source: Oster-Aaland and Eighmy (2007). Medical Amnesty Policies: Research is Needed. NASPA Journal, Vol. 44, no. 4.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Lena Edmunds, MPH, CHESAWARE Program CoordinatorUniversity of Wyoming1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3708Laramie, WY 82071Phone: (307) 766-2187Email: [email protected]