Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By siglerr|
|March 8, 2023

Iowa news

Madison County tornado survivors reunite with Iowa Methodist Medical Center team who cared for them

A mother-son duo who survived the Madison County tornado last year returned to UnityPoint Health-Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines on Saturday to reunite with the team who took care of them.  The family was met with hugs and kind words when they arrived at the hospital. (KCCI)

Six Iowa medical centers recognized by Newsweek

Among the hallmarks of great hospitals are not just first-class care, first-class research and first-class innovation. The very best institutions also share another quality: consistency. The world’s best hospitals consistently attract the best people and provide the best outcomes for patients as well as the most important new therapies and research. Of all the hospitals in the world, relatively few can do all those things year in and year out. The best belong to a very exclusive club. Six Iowa hospitals were recently recognized as members of this club by Newsweek. Their fifth annual listing of the World’s Best Hospitals ranked more than 2,300 hospitals in 28 countries. (Newsweek)

Report finds Iowa has nation’s second highest cancer rates

The latest annual report from the Iowa Cancer Registry has found Iowa has the second highest incidence rate of cancer cases in the country. Mary Charlton, the director of the Iowa Cancer Registry, says it’s unclear why Iowa’s cancer rates are so high, but many factors, like high alcohol use and low activity levels, likely contribute. Iowa is second to only Kentucky when it comes to incidence rates of cancer and was the only state with a significant increase in cancer cases from 2015 to 2019. (Iowa Public Radio)

National news

Royal warning, RansomHouse strikes and DoppelPaymer assets seized

FBI and CISA warn U.S. hospitals to heed indicators of compromise immediately while RansomHouse shuts down a major Barcelona health system and the U.S. and European partners seize equipment possibly used in DoppelPaymer exploits. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigations and European partners have shared warnings and announced coordination on ransomware investigations linked to at least one patient fatality. Meanwhile, Barcelona hospitals brace for the impact of a new cyberattack. (Healthcare IT News)

States lift COVID-19 rules in health care settings

California, Washington and Oregon plan to end health care worker COVID-19 requirements, effective April 3. California’s changes include an end to its health care worker vaccination and masking requirements, and in Oregon and Washington, officials also have announced they plan to lift masking requirements in health care facilities. The California Nurses Association is condemning the state’s plans to lift masking and vaccine requirements in health care settings. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Norovirus appears to keep spreading as rate of positive tests exceeds last year’s peak

Norovirus, a highly contagious virus that typically causes gastrointestinal symptoms appears to be at a 12-month high, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Regionally, the Midwest and the South had the highest average test positivity rates for norovirus and the rate of norovirus tests coming back positive was around 17% which is the highest it has been at any time in the last year. (NBC News)

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