Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|July 11, 2022

Iowa news

DMACC expands surgical technologist program in response to workforce needs

Des Moines Area Community College’s surgical technologist program is preparing for a larger class this fall in a refreshed classroom with new equipment. That includes three practice operating rooms, recording equipment to allow professors to record labs and monitor students remotely, a sterile processing and central supply area, and a 3D laparoscopic surgical simulator. With the high demand for certified surgical technologists statewide, the new features are meant to replicate an operating room environment and help students enter the clinical portion of their education and first job feeling prepared. (Business Record)

Hundreds of Iowa nursing home complaints go uninvestigated for months

As of last month, 410 complaints were pending against Iowa nursing homes that were at least 30 days old. Of those, 201 complaints – almost half the total number — were more than 120 days old. In fact, 24 of the pending complaints against Iowa nursing homes are now more than one year old, according to Department of Inspections and Appeals. What’s more, federal officials are now allowing states to simply close out many of their nursing home complaints with no investigation while classifying them as either “withdrawn” or expired. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Pella Regional to hold COVID-19 vaccine clinic for young children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six months and older. Pella Regional Medical Clinic in Pella will hold a vaccination clinic Thursday, July 21, for children ages 6 months through 5-years-old. Pella Regional will offer the Moderna vaccine, which is a two-dose series. The second dose will be automatically scheduled four weeks after the first dose. (Pella Regional Medical Center)

National news

COVID-19 cases dip slightly as BA.5 threat looms

COVID-19 cases dipped nationwide in the past week, though the number of areas with high levels of community spread is rising as the highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 remains dominant in the U.S., according to the CDC’s COVID-19 weekly data tracker. As of July 6, the nation’s seven-day case average was 106,549, a 3.9% decrease from the previous week’s average. As of July 7, 20.7% of counties, districts or territories had high levels of COVID-19 spread in their communities, a 1.3 percentage point increase from the week prior. Another 37.8% had medium spread levels, marking a 2.4 percentage point increase from the week prior. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Physician groups issue call to accelerate behavioral health integration

Physician organizations are working to accelerate the integration of behavioral health services into primary care settings and close the unmet need for mental health services and substance use disorder treatment, but physicians cannot solve the crisis on their own. A new call-to-action from eight of the nation’s leading physician organizations urges a unified and collective effort by stakeholders across the health care system to support equitable, whole-person care for patients and their families. (American Medical Association)

In America, cancer patients endure debt on top of disease

Cancer kills about 600,000 people in the U.S. annually, making it a leading cause of death. Many more survive it because of breakthroughs in medicines and therapies. But the high costs of modern-day care have left millions with a devastating financial burden. That’s forced patients and their families to make gut-wrenching sacrifices even as they confront a grave illness. (Kaiser Health News)

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