Iowa news
UnityPoint says some diagnostic tests may be delayed due to supply chain issues
UnityPoint Health has announced shortages stemming from COVID-19 shutdowns in China may delay diagnostic imaging scans for some patients. In a message sent to patients and posted on its website, the health care network said it is experiencing a shortage of intravenous contrast dyes. These dyes are used in diagnostic tests like CT scans. The shortage is because of recent COVID-19 shutdowns in China, which included the world’s largest manufacturer of the special dyes located in Shanghai. (Iowa Public Radio)
UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital announces $25 million expansion
UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids is investing $25 million to expand its heart and vascular services in the Nassif Heart Center. The expansion will consolidate and enhance the hospital’s heart and vascular capabilities into one comprehensive center. The funding will add a second electrophysiology lab, relocate and expand the vascular and interventional radiology labs, and build a dedicated cardiovascular hybrid operating room. The new operating room will expand capabilities and improve patient outcomes. (KCRG)
The Purdue University Global School of Nursing has partnered with Dallas County Hospital, Perry, to create a more efficient and innovative learning model that meets the needs of Purdue University Global students, Dallas County Hospital staff and the community. The joint venture will include a sophisticated simulation center at Dallas County Hospital. The simulation center will use high-fidelity manikins that include an infant, child, birthing mother and adult. The space will consist of two large high-fidelity simulation suites staged as hospital rooms with audiovisual capabilities, a master control room, a skills lab practice room, nurses’ station, central supply area and medication preparation space. (Purdue University)
National news
How long COVID-19 could change the way we think about disability
The coronavirus pandemic has created a mass-disabling event that experts liken to HIV, polio or World War II, with millions suffering the long-term effects of infection with the virus. Many have found their lives dramatically changed and are grappling with what it means to be disabled. The dramatic influx of newly disabled Americans changes the calculus for disability advocates, who have in recent years been uniting around a shared identity, pushing back against historic marginalization by affirming their self-worth and embracing their disabilities. (The Washington Post)
More cases of monkeypox expected as CDC warns of community spread
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that monkeypox may be spreading person-to-person in the U.S., after the agency confirmed three cases in individuals with no recent links to international travel. The public health agency has confirmed 20 monkeypox cases in 11 states. Most of the patients have traveled internationally and were likely exposed overseas, the CDC said, but three did not, and either may have had contact with a known case or didn’t know how they were infected. (Politico)
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines can be quickly updated for new variants. So, where’s my omicron booster?
Since omicron was declared a variant of concern at the end of November 2021, it quickly swept the globe, becoming the dominant COVID-19 variant in many countries. Yet all of the hundreds of millions of approved mRNA vaccines administered worldwide were made to their original recipe, which was based on the COVID-19 virus that emerged in Wuhan, China. One of the most-promising aspects of the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is their ability to be rapidly adjusted for maximum protection in the face of new variants. So where’s my omicron booster? (ABC News)