Download - Rachana Sikka Capstone Presentation
Evolution of capstone
In the beginning. . .
Evolution of Capstone
Mental health and health disparitiesHmong refugees and mental health
issuesTracked issue for one year (media reports,
educational workshops, forums)Compiled academic, government and
agency researchConducted interviews and wrote preliminary
articles for class assignments
Evolution of Capstone: Version 1
Mental health screening efforts of new Hmong refugeesScreening tool/instrumentObservation of actual screening
Mental health programs and services for refugees (MN and Thailand)
Mental health and Hmong cultureProfiles of refugee families
Evolution of capstone
Council of Asian and Pacific Minnesotans legislative update (2/14/2005)
Advanced Reporting Methods-spring 2005Class project about gamblingFinished overview article mid-March
Evolution of Capstone: Version 2
Mental Health of new Hmong refugees
Casino Gambling Addiction in the Twin Cities Asian community
Overview policy article about mental health and Asians
May 2005
Casino Gambling Addiction in the Twin Cities Asian Community
Rachana Sikka
July 25, 2005
Agenda
Background information Rationale for focus on gambling Background research, interview, writing and
follow-up processes Components of article series Challenges and ethical issues Strengths and weaknesses Publication Outlets Conclusions
Gambling and Minnesota
Source: www.mpr.org
Gambling and Minnesota
“Pawlenty, tribal leaders unveil casino proposal”MPR 3/4/2005
“Two Indian tribes encouraged by gambling discussion with Gov. Pawlenty” MPR 10/28/2004
“Gambling Bills Pass Committee Test” MPR 3/19/2005
NATIONAL DESK | March 31, 2005 As Gambling Grows, States Depend On Their Cut to Bolster Revenues New York Times
“Work & Life: Jobs are casino plans’ silver lining”StarTribune” 3/10/2005
“Pawlenty and northern tribes say gambling talks were productive” MPR 1/7/2005
Gambling
Definition: placing something of value at risk in the hopes of gaining something of greater value
Wagering in casinos and on lotteries, horse and dog racing, card games, and sporting events
Epidemiology of gambling
Epidemiology (National Council on Problem Gambling, 2003) Over 80 percent of U.S. adults have reported
gambling at least once in the past year and done so responsibly
About one percent of adults (2 million people) meet the criteria of a pathological gambler
Two to three percent have less serious, but significant problems with gambling
Gambling as a (public) health issue
Pathological gambling Impulse control disorder
High rates of comorbidity between substance use and gambling disorders
Increased rates of mental health disorders have been reported in problem and pathological gamblers
Higher suicide rates have been associated with gambling
Sources: Cunningham-Williams RM, Cottler LB, 1998; Compton III WM, Spitznagel EL, 1998; Cunningham-Williams RM, Cottler LB, 2001; Crockford DN, el-Guebaly N, 1998; Shaffer & Korn 2002
Gambling as a (public) health issue
Public health model for communicable disease can be applied to gambling (Shaffer & Korn, 2002)
Person who chooses to gamble
Specific gambling activityMoney, credit or something else of value
Microenvironment: gambling venue, family, local community
Macroenvironment: socioeconomic, cultural, social policy and political context
(Gordis, 2000)
Gambling and Asians
Asian groups in the U.S. show higher rates of gambling disorders compared with other groups (Handbook of Asian American Psychology, 1998)
Prevalence surveys of Chinese immigrants to Western countries Montreal: 5% problem gamblers, 2% pathological gamblers
(Lesieur HR, Blume SB, 1987) Calgary: 8% problem gamblers (Lo J, 1996) Sydney: 10% pathological gamblers (Blaszczynski A, Huynh
S, Dumlao VJ et al, 1998) Lifetime prevalence of pathological gambling in a
sample of Southeast Asian refugees: 59 percent (Petry NM, Armentano C, Kuoch T, Norinth T, Smith L, 2003)
Gambling and Asians in Minnesota
A report on the effects of problem gambling on Southeast Asian families and their adjustment to life in Minnesota (1996)Exploratory field study by the CAPM
Gambling and Asians in Minnesota
“Gambling among Southeast Asians living in Minnesota has led to considerable financial and emotional problems resulting in increased debt, family stress, loss of homes, incidents of divorce, neglect of children and even deaths.” (CAPM, 1996)
Focus on gambling and Asians
TimelyEffective “hook”
Fresh angleLocalizedMulti-dimensional issue
Medical/psychological, political, social, economic and cultural aspects
Background Research
Literature searchPubMed/Medline, PsychInfo, Current
Contents (keywords=gambling and Asians)Outside publications/reports
Governor’s Report on Compulsive Gambling: A Report to the Minnesota Legislature (2004)
A report on the effects of problem gambling on Southeast Asian families and their adjustment to life in Minnesota (1996)
Background Research
WebsitesMinnesota Department of Human ServicesMinnesota Institute of Public HealthMinnesota Public RadioStar TribuneMinnesota State LotteryCasino websites
Initial Contacts
CAPM: Legislative liaison/research analyst Gambling treatment provider lists
State-approved gambling treatment providers from MDHS
State and non-state approved providers from MN State Lottery
Southeast Asian Gambling Treatment Consortium: Program manager
Lao Assistance Center: Executive Director
Initial Contacts
Asked members of Council and Consortium, as well as gambling counselors about people who were dealing with gambling addiction
Marketing/Public Relations representatives of casinos (Mystic Lake, Grand Casinos, Treasure Island)
Mystic Lake Hotel Casino employee
Table of Contacts
Name JobPosition
Contact Info
Expertise Remarks
David Zander Research Analyst and Legislative Liaison, Council of Asian and Pacific Minnesotans
Phone: 651-296- 0538
Cultural anthropology
Angry and concerned about potential casino gambling expansion in Minnesota; thinks the creation of more casinos will have a more traumatic effect on Asian communities
Interview Process
CAPM (phone interview) Southeast Asian Gambling Consortium/Lao
Assistance Center (face-to-face interviews) Gambling counselors
Tried to interview gambling counselors who represented different segments of the Asian community (phone interviews)
Marketing/PR departments of Mystic Lake and Treasure Island casinos did not return phone messages
Interview Process
PR person at Grand Casino-Hinckley referred me to Goff & Howard Spoke with chairman in mid-March by phone
Visit to Mystic Lake: Employees not willing to talk Mystic Lake Hotel Casino employee interview through
a personal contact Phone interview
Was not able to interview someone of Asian descent who had a gambling problem Located woman in the personal profile through program
manager of Southeast Asian Gambling Consortium in mid-May
Face-to-face interview
Writing
Overview article Highlight issue, raise awareness of problem Bolster with academic/outside research and
interviews with program managers and treatment providers
Discuss programmatic and legislative efforts Narrative introduction to grab reader’s attention
Personal encounter at Mystic Lake Personal profile sidebar
Follow-up & Fact Checking
Overview articleCalled back all sources at least once with
follow-up questions, to double check facts and go over quotes
Especially important with sources representing casino perspectives
Personal ProfileFollowed up with source 2-3 times to fact
check and go over quotes
Overview Article
“Casino Gambling Addiction in the Asian Community”
3,610 words Personal observation Research studies
Local (Lao Assistance Center) Academic (Retry et al 2003)
Anecdotal/observational reports Council of Asian and Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM)
Overview Article
Interviews CAPM Gambling counselors (Lao, Korean, Vietnamese,
Chinese) Blackjack dealer/floor supervisor (Mystic Lake Hotel
Casino) Chairman of Howard & Goff: public relations/public
affairs firm for Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Programmatic/Legislative efforts Southeast Asian Gambling Consortium
Overview Article: Main findings
Higher than average incidence of problem gambling among Southeast Asian men and women Also surfacing in Chinese and Korean communities
Limited education and language skills, low income, immigrant status, boredom and loneliness seem to factor into gambling
Difficult for counselors to do outreach Sophisticated marketing efforts by casinos Lack of entertainment options for people
with limited English proficiency
Personal Profile
Untitled1,023 wordsLocal woman of Laotian descent
Stepmother, biological mother and husband with gambling addiction
To protect privacy, real names not used
Narrative Piece
“Over the Buffet and through the Slot Machines”
1,432 wordsBased on personal
observation/encounter at Mystic Lake Hotel CasinoConversation with woman of Taiwanese
descent
Challenges
Sensitive, emotionally charged issue Cultural lens magnifies pre-existing stigma
Language barriers Difficulty finding personal stories Little published research and few “experts” Achieving balance and objectivity
Easy to get swayed by emotions Casino employees unwilling to talk
Programs vs. people
Ethical issues
Privacy/confidentiality Mystic Lake Hotel Casino employee People with gambling addiction and their families
Evoking sensitive/traumatic issues for sources Personal account of Laotian woman
Equity Giving equal voice to sources with limited English
proficiency
Limitations
Lack of connection to broader mental health and/or policy issuesVersion 2 of capstone project
Did not profile someone with gambling addictionFamily member as proxy
Slightly skewed toward an advocacy tone?
Strengths
FocusedTimelyNovel
An emerging issueRespected the privacy of sources while
still telling their storiesCaptured issues and voices of minority
populations
Publication Outlets
Ummm. . . City PagesLocal specialty newspaper and/or
magazineAsian Pages?Asian-American Press?Pulse of the Twin Cities?Minnesota Monthly?
Conclusions
Sensitive topics + minority and/or immigrant populations = time for trust to develop between journalist and sourceDifficult to achieve under real-world
deadline constraintsMedia can be an effective ally and
intervention tool for health/human service professionalsCan ease the transition to more intense
intervention and/or policy development
Conclusions
Public health knowledge helped to understand and interpret research, but sometimes hindered interview and writing processesKnowledge of survey construction/research
made interview preparation a headacheHard-wired to write in an academic fashion
Need to publish articles before issue becomes obsolete
My final two cents
Honing my journalistic skills will be a lifelong process
Journalism should be renamed “Journeyism”
Thanks a bunch!!!
Brian Southwell, Gary Schwitzer, Paul MacEnroe, John Finnegan
All named and unnamed sources, especially David Zander, Rick Devich, Sunny Chanthanouvong and Noriko Ishihara
Health journalism classmatesParents and friends
Deal me any questions or comments