Provide names of other journalists involved.
My editor and our publisher is Diane Carman.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Oct. 17, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Denver’s La Alma neighborhood was the cradle for the Latino Civil Rights movement in the city, but it is also one of the poorest and most violent areas in Denver. Managers and residents of a public housing project here are using a novel concept that they call the Healthy Development Measurement Tool through which to view every single decision during a $125 million redevelopment project. For instance, when architects designed the new buildings, they decided to add bike closets inside each unit to encourage residents to ride bikes while knowing they had an option for safe storage. The health picture in this neighborhood is bleak. More than 55 percent of residents are overweight or obese. More than 38 percent report a health condition that prevents them from working, such as asthma, diabetes or heart problems. Three-quarters have high blood pressure. Few eat a healthy diet and only one-in-four residents exercise at least three times a week. In addition to the health metric, managers and their consultants conducted a formal Health Impact Assessment. This is a relatively new tool being used in community planning in Colorado. We decided to see whether the changes in this neighborhood are having an impact on residents and will be useful as a blueprint for other public housing projects or other low-income communities.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used data from the Health Impact Assessment along with reports and clips from newspaper stories about the neighborhood and the projects here. I had already done stories in this neighborhood in the past when I was a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News. I did not need to submit any public records requests.
Explain types of human sources used.
I interviewed the managers for the housing authority along with consultants for the redevelopment. I attended community meetings and health classes in the neighborhood. I interviewed several residents to learn how attempts at building a healthier community are impacting their health and well-being.
Results:
Very few writers in our area have focused on Health Impact Assessments. Often when we cover a topic like this, other media outlets follow suit. I expect HIAs to be on the radar for more community leaders as well as reporters.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No, we have not run any corrections or clarifications and no one has challenged the accuracy of our story.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
I would encourage other reporters to look for communities that are doing Health Impact Assessments. As these become more common, it will be interesting to hold communities accountable for commitments they made to improve health. Will HIAs work or will obesity and diabetes rates continue to climb in vulnerable communities? I am also interested in doing more reporting on trauma and encourage my fellow reporters to do the same. I continue to find that many of the people I interview who have the most severe health and mental health problems have experienced some kind of past abuse and trauma.