Iowa news
Three sister organizations continue annual tradition of spreading mercy in Cedar Rapids community
Sister organizations Mount Mercy University, the Catherine McAuley Center and Mercy Medical Center are continuing the tradition of Circle the City with Mercy, a one-day community service project with volunteers from each organization working toward a common cause. Now in its sixth year, partners of Circle the City with Mercy join together for a unique community service project each year to demonstrate their commitment to the community. This year, team members will assemble 15,000 meals for the Take Away Hunger organization. The meals will be distributed locally to help people in crisis. (Mercy Cedar Rapids)
University of Iowa working to combat mental health crisis among students over summer break
The Tippie College of Business is the latest department at the University of Iowa to bring on a therapist to help students who might be struggling with their mental health. The University says they are trying to put a therapist in each department, even in the dorms, to let students know help is there if they need it. College students say isolation and social pressures the last few years have made them struggle more and more with their mental health. And they say social media is also adding to the stress. (CBS 2)
Eastern Iowa Health Center to host vaccine clinic July 22 and July 29
The Eastern Iowa Health Center is holding a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic July 22 and July 29. First-time vaccines and boosters will be provided. The event is part of a series of clinics held in the winter and spring to help community members get their COVID-19 vaccines and bivalent COVID-19 booster doses. The center is partnering with Neighborhood Transportation Service to offer transportation services during clinic times. The service will pick up people at their homes for free, so they can reach their appointment and return home easily. The vaccination clinics will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both Saturdays. Residents are being advised to schedule their appointment ahead of time. (CBS 2)
National news
‘Physicians who use AI will replace those who don’t,’ AMA chief says
Artificial intelligence won’t take over diagnosis and treatment of most diseases, but that doesn’t mean physicians shouldn’t be using it, said the American Medical Association’s president, Jesse Ehrenfeld, M.D. He noted it will help make physicians’ work more accurate and efficient, cutting down on administrative tasks. Dr. Ehrenfeld pointed to one promising diagnostic use case: an AI tool that scans for diabetic retinopathy that could be placed in primary care officers or pharmacies. Regulations are needed for healthcare AI to reach its full potential, Dr. Ehrenfeld said. He pointed to Boeing, which had a computer program that overrode pilots, leading to two deadly crashes in 2018 to 2019. (Politico)
How health systems can solve the cybersecurity labor shortage
The health care industry is suffering from a cybersecurity workforce shortage as it has been harder for organizations to recruit, train and retain skilled cybersecurity employees, but this can be alleviated if organizations start to look outside the box for talent and provide greater incentives for cybersecurity training. The health care cybersecurity talent shortage continues to persist while cyberattacks on hospitals and health systems continue to get more sophisticated and frequent. The entire year of 2022 had 52 million individuals affected by health care breaches, showing that this year could quickly outpace last year, meaning hospitals and health systems must find ways to fill open roles on their cybersecurity team to ensure their critical infrastructures are protected. (Becker’s IT and CIO Report)
CDC to reduce funding for states’ child vaccination programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing funding to states for child vaccination programs. The reduction comes from a federal immunization grant — totaling about $680 million in the latest year — that supports vaccination programs for children, according to the Association of Immunization Managers. Agency officials linked the reduction to the debt ceiling deal recently struck by the Biden administration and Congress. The cut may result in less complete reporting on vaccinations, the CDC said. The debt deal rescinded about $27 billion in unspent federal money that had been allocated to fight COVID-19. It also led the CDC to remove $400 million in funding to states for workers who fight the spread of sexually transmitted infections. (MedPage Today)