Iowa news
Mental health awareness event geared toward Black Iowans to be held on May 6
As part of its Make It OK campaign, the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, together with Black community leaders, is hosting an event to help raise awareness of mental health in the Black community. The Back the Black event is scheduled the afternoon of May 6 at Drake University’s Olmsted Center. Its purpose will be to gather in a way that the community finds welcoming — including food and music — explain the campaign, answer questions about the campaign, and help the community get familiar with using its benefits and resources. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black U.S. adults are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, yet only 1 in 3 Black adults with mental illness receive treatment. (Business Record)
Iowa has stopped reporting COVID-19 cases to federal officials
Iowa is no longer reporting weekly COVID-19 cases to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which uses those reports to track the coronavirus’ prevalence nationwide and evaluate its threat on a county-by-county basis. The state appears to be the only one to cease that reporting. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa should safely reduce C-section rates to improve maternal health
Although we see regular news coverage about challenges accessing maternal health care in Iowa and the related racial disparities, we rarely see the mention of higher cesarean section rates as a relevant factor in these disparities. April is Cesarean Awareness Month and April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week. The overlap of these initiatives is relevant given the higher cesarean rate for Black people nationwide and in Iowa. A C-section is worth the risks involved when the health of the birthing parent or baby is at risk. Complications, including hemorrhage, infection and organ injury, are more likely to occur with a cesarean compared with a vaginal delivery. Studies show C-sections are 80% more likely to have complications than vaginal deliveries. (Fearless)
National news
‘The opportunities are limitless’: How OR ‘black boxes’ are changing the way hospitals operate
Operating room “black boxes” are growing in popularity as a way to improve patient safety and operational efficiency — and it likely will not be long before they spread to other departments. Twenty-four hospitals in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe are using the technology. “Black boxes” — named after the recording devices on airplanes — were developed by Surgical Safety Technologies in Toronto. They gather video, audio, patient vital signs and data from surgical devices during procedures. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Cancer drug shortages are creating dire circumstances for some patients
A shortage of cancer medicines has created dire circumstances for many patients diagnosed with the disease, forcing them — along with their physicians — to make difficult decisions. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are four cancer drugs in shortage: Pluvicto, for advanced prostate cancer, methotrexate, cisplatin and fluorouracil, common chemotherapy drugs used to treat a broad range of cancers from the skin to the bones and lungs. A fifth drug, a bladder cancer therapy called BCG, is also said to be in shortage, according to Dr. Vignesh Packiam, a urologist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. (NBC News)
‘A recipe for magic’: How Baptist Health is infusing AI into all levels of care
The U.S. health care system is ripe with opportunity to reimagine clinical and operational processes that more closely resemble remnants of the 1980s, not 2023. To meet patients and clinicians’ growing expectations for convenience and efficiency, health systems must transform these decades-old clinical and operational processes. Jacksonville, Florida-based Baptist Health is embracing artificial intelligence across all areas of care to streamline workflows and sustain lasting improvements, including in the operating room. The health system was using a decentralized and fragmented OR block scheduling process, which hindered visibility into operating room availability and left surgeons struggling to reserve OR time, even during periods of low utilization. (Becker’s Hospital Review)