Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the web.
Iowa News
IDPH receives grants for mental health, substance abuse resources
Congresswoman Cindy Axne, representing Iowa’s third district, announced $1 million in grants for mental health and substance abuse for the Iowa Department of Public Health. The money is awarded from the Center for Mental Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to a release. (WOWT NBC Omaha)
Where mental health money could come from
Over the last two legislative sessions, many have worked to improve the treatment of adults and children who suffer from mental illnesses in Iowa. The recommendations of workgroups yielded bills that legislators overwhelmingly passed, and Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law. These laws call for enhancing the continuum of care for adults with complex mental health care needs and establishing a mental health care system for Iowa’s children. How do we fund the mental illness treatment system in a meaningful and sustainable way? (Appanoose County Daily Iowegian)
Hospital worker reading books to ‘sickest kids’ in Des Moines seeks donations
Go to MercyOne Hospital in Des Moines on any given day and there’s a pretty big chance you’ll hear a calm voice from inside the pediatric intensive care unit, reading stories from among the constant beeps of the usual machines that can be found in any health facility. That voice is Dane Pratt, who’s a cardiovascular perfusionist. But when he’s not working the machine, he’s out there doing another thing for the children: reading to them and bringing comfort at the bedside of the sickest kids. (Medical Daily)
National News
Democratic candidates talk about health care, child care and higher education at Iowa debate
In their final debate before the Iowa caucuses, six candidates vying for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination provided a glimpse into policies that would directly affect the finances of American families. A good portion of the debate centered on health care. (USA Today)
Hospitals sue to stop site-neutral payment policy in 2020
The American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges and several hospital systems on Monday sued the Trump administration over its site-neutral payment policy for 2020. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal actions hospitals have taken to fight the pay cuts. (Modern Healthcare)
Kansas hospital groups praise proposed Medicaid expansion deal
The Kansas Hospital Association and Ascension Via Christi, Wichita's largest hospital system, showed support Thursday for the bipartisan agreement to expand KanCare, the state's version of Medicaid. "This agreement is clearly the most significant progress we have seen in the Medicaid expansion debate in Kansas," Kansas Hospital Association President and CEO Tom Bell said in a statement. (Wichita Business Journal)