Iowa news
University of Iowa Health Care, alongside the UI’s College of Education, will train students to develop a future workforce of mental health specialists in rural Iowa this fall. The UI project, Building a Mental Health Workforce to Serve Rural Iowa Youth, will provide training for students through a $1.8 million federal grant from the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program. (Daily Iowan)
UnityPoint Health launches tool connecting public with local social services
As part of its mission to improve the health of the communities it serves, UnityPoint Health is launching a new social services resource called Together We Care to help people find help with food, housing, transportation, employment and more. (WFMZ)
Dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in Iowa as delta variant “seeking out” unvaccinated areas
Although the situation has not reached a crisis point, such a scenario is playing out just across the border in Missouri. Both there and in Iowa, the culprit is the delta variant of COVID-19. The new form of the virus has a viral load estimated to be 1,000 times higher than other strains, making it easier to infect people, even outside, in areas with low vaccination rates. (Iowa News Now)
National news
CDC urges vaccinated people to mask up indoors in places with high virus transmission
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidance for wearing masks. In a reversal of its earlier position, the agency is now recommending that some fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors if they live in areas with significant or high spread. (National Public Radio)
Government agency wasted $143 billion on Medicaid overpayments in 2019-2020
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wasted $143 billion on Medicaid overpayments during the last two years, and it hasn’t been transparent about its efforts to recover those funds. CMS reported $57.36 billion and $86.49 billion in Medicaid overpayments in the fiscal years 2019 and 2020, respectively. The improper payment rates of 14.9% and 21.36%, respectively, represent a substantial jump from prior years, and CMS is required by the Social Security Act to recover improper payments that exceed 3%. (Daily Caller)
Hospital morgues fill as death count climbs in Missouri
A Springfield, Missouri, hospital has announced it expanded its morgue capacity amid an increase in COVID-19 deaths, while the Kansas City mayor announced he would reinstate a mask mandate for indoor spaces. Missouri has the nation’s fourth worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, with one in every 360 people diagnosed with COVID-19. Its seven-day rolling average of daily deaths has nearly doubled over the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins. (AP News)