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Both revelations came to light during the 80 small-group meetings held during the past month by the Ames branch of A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy, or AMOS, as it's called. A total of 604 people participated in the meetings.
The organization includes 28 institutions from central Iowa, including five member institutions from Ames. The group strives to create social justice in all its forms by relaying its concerns to legislators, local administrators, law enforcement officials and others.
"We're looking for justice in the biblical sense," said Gaunt, a member of First Christian Church. "Those who read the Bible ... get a strong message of justice: Don't cheat the widows, orphans and the strangers. The widows and orphans of the Bible translate today to single mothers with children. Strangers could be the immigrants."
Healthcare, economic justice, housing and other youth issues were common concerns raised by residents during the house meetings.
"The purpose is to share our stories about what helps and hurts in our lives, what makes things hard for us, what we worry about, what keeps us awake at night and what we are concerned about for the future," Gaunt said.
Gaunt said the affordability and availability of healthcare remains a core concern of many people. Costs stretch even those in the middle class, the group heard. Judging from the comments, Gaunt said there also seems to be a shortage of psychiatric care in the Ames area.
More than one congregation mentioned the need for after-hours urgent medical care services.
"Everybody's kid always gets sick after the clinic closes," Gaunt said. "But the emergency room is very expensive, even to those who have good insurance."
Gaunt said some cited concerns about the billing and insurance practices at Mary Greeley Medical Center and McFarland Clinic. He declined to provide specifics.
Other concerns included the affordability and availability of housing, predatory lending, such as car title loans and the minimum wage.
Sheryl Rippke, a member of Bethesda Lutheran Church, said members from her church organized 13 meetings. One of them was exclusively for youth. She said some of the 10 young people who attended worried that there wasn't enough attention being put toward drug and alcohol prevention.
"A lot of people have concerns," Rippke said.
Gaunt said AMOS will form groups to research each topic and determine what type of action could be taken. Paul Turner, the lead organizer for AMOS, will hold a training session in Ames on Nov. 30, Gaunt said.
AMOS held a forum in Des Moines on Sunday. Iowa candidate for governor Chet Culver and State Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, of Ames, were in attendance.
"She was very supportive," Gaunt said.
AMOS started eight years ago in Des Moines and has taken root in Ames in the last year. It is one of more than 60 similar groups across the nation.
Jeff Raasch can be reached
at 232-2161, Ext. 343,
or jraasch@amestrib.com.
