SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 19, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/25/23
In this edition:
*RIP Kenn Bowen
*Medical Examiner Info
*GOP Hypocrisy
*THE Way to Understand Income Inequality!
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Did You Know?
*RIP Kenn Bowen
Kenn Bowen of Iowa City was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. I had many great conversations with Kenn, and I truly appreciated our friendship. It was always abundantly clear how much he loved his kids and grandkids.
Kenn volunteered his time to several organizations, including Table2Table, Riverside Theatre, United Way, Iowa City Senior Center, Veterans for Peace, and KFMG and KICI radio stations. A life too short, but well-lived. RIP, Kenn.
*Medical Examiner Info
Most of us don’t think much about what happens when someone dies. What does happen is actually a function of County government. In Iowa, every county must have a Doctor of Medicine (MD) who is designated as the Medical Examiner (ME) for that county.
In Johnson County, we are *extremely* blessed. There are only about 400 board certified forensic pathologists in the whole US. We have three of them here in Johnson County. Our Medical Examiner is Dr. Dennis Firchau, who is also a Clinical Professor of Pathology and Director of Autopsy Services and the Decedent Care Center at the University of Iowa. In other words, they simply do not get better than Doctor Firchau and his two Deputy Medical Examiners.
In addition to the three forensic pathologists, Johnson County maintains a Medical Examiner Administrative Director, a Medical Examiner Supervisor, and a few Medical Examiner Investigators.
In 2022 Johnson County accepted 591 cases. That is about half of the deaths they review; in other cases it is deemed that no further investigation is needed. Why does the ME Office get involved in what appear to be natural deaths? The Medical Examiner may take jurisdiction over an apparent natural death if (1) the death was unexpected, (2) the cause of death was uncertain, (3) the decedent was unattended by a physician, (4) the death might be due to a virulent or contagious disease, and/or (5) the manner of death is not clear.
Only about half the cases are actually Johnson County residents. About half come from other Iowa counties, about 50 are from out of state, and about 20 are in the custody of the Department of Corrections.
Why are the statistics as they are? As it turns out, Johnson County is a great place to die! I say this tongue in cheek, but it is true! You see, in Iowa, ME jurisdiction depends upon where the death occurs. So think about it for a moment - scores of Eastern Iowans draw their last breath at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. Even more people die at the Iowa City Veteran’s Affairs Hospital. And hundreds and hundreds of people pass away at UIHC. The Johnson County ME gets all those cases. Add in a prison, two busy interstate highways, 35,000 students, and a county of 160,000 people, and we have a very busy Department!
Johnson County maintains a fully operational morgue facility, though most bodies run through the Decedent Care Center at the UI. Bodies are bagged, placed on power cots, and transported to the site where the examination will be conducted. Scenes are protected in case further investigation is required.
Staff are on call 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. When a death is reported, they show up. And when you think about the numbers, it would be rare for a day to pass without a death. Most days have several.
In 2022, we had 213 natural deaths, 247 accidental deaths, 37 suicides, 10 homicides, and 10 undetermined deaths. What is “undetermined”? Think about some drug overdose deaths. Often, there are clues that point toward suicide, while other evidence points to an accident. While investigators can usually figure it out, sometimes these cases end up undetermined.
Suicides in 2022 were about half firearms and half hangings; no other method was close. Most suicides were male, and between 20 and 39 years of age.
Six out of ten homicides were by gun, while 4 were a result of beating, choking, or shaking. 9/10 victims were males.
Drug deaths were overwhelmingly methamphetamine. On the positive side, the ME office helped to facilitate 57 organ transplants in 2022!
The ME Office must also issue permits for every cremation. A dead body may be evidence of a crime. So no cremations can happen until the ME Office signs off. Johnson County had over 1000 of these permits in 2022.
I am incredibly proud of our ME Office. They maintain accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME); only 80 ME departments in the whole US have this accreditation! (To put that in perspective, there are almost 4,000 ME offices in the US. In other words, we are one of only about 2% nationally!)
Most importantly, they are incredibly empathetic and understanding. Our staff work every day with people who just might be having the worst day of their lives. They are incredibly kind and patient, while still managing to handle all the legal aspects of the job. They are truly amazing, and I am very proud of the service they provide to the people of Johnson County.
*GOP Hypocrisy
From my friend Mike Owen with Common Good Iowa:
“The same legislators who refused asset tests for wealthy students to receive private school subsidies insist on such tests for struggling families to receive food assistance. Iowa’s shame.”
Amen, Mike!
*THE Way to Understand Income Inequality!
Income inequality is the highest it has ever been. 60 people now have wealth equal to the poorest half of the people on earth. If the United States had the same income distribution it had in 1979, the bottom 80 percent of the population would have $1 trillion – or $12,000 per family – more. The top 1 percent would have $1 trillion less.
Remember when I mentioned perspective? I find the following comparison helpful in terms of understanding the difference between a million and a billion:
Imagine I give you a one dollar bill every second. All day, every day, one per second. At that rate, it would take me 11 days to give you a million dollars.
Now imagine we do the same thing, but I am giving you a billion dollars. I give you a one dollar bill every second. All day, every day, one per second. At that rate, it would take me 32 years to give you a billion dollars!
A million seconds is 11 days. A billion seconds is 32 years!
That last statistic has always been very helpful. People have a very difficult time wrapping their heads around the concept of a billion. Comparing a billion seconds to a billion dollars really helps.
So, if you are reading this? You are likely pretty well off. And there is a small group of people hoarding the world’s resources!
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
Save the date! The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of Fame Awards event on Saturday, May 13 at 7pm at Courtyard by Marriott in University Heights.
Please join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be available. Parking is free.
The Hall of Fame inductees for 2023 are: Sally Murray, Joe Bolkcom, and Mary Mascher. We hope you can join us in recognizing this remarkable group!
Tickets are available for a $25 suggested donation. People who cannot afford that amount should still feel welcome, but please call 354-7199 so we can get a count.
Sponsorships are available at the following levels:
$125 includes two tickets
$250 includes 4 tickets
$500 includes a whole table (8 tickets)
$1000 includes 2 whole tables (16 tickets) and lots of love!
Checks can be mailed to:
Johnson County Democrats
PO Box 1773
Iowa City, IA 52244
If you have any questions, please contact Rod Sullivan at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. We hope you will join us for a fun evening, and lend your voice to those who are honoring these very deserving people. We look forward to seeing you!
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County has about 3 births for every death – very unusual amongst Iowa counties. About 2/3 of Iowa counties have more deaths than births.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:18 PM
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