Iowa news
University of Iowa Health Care reapplies to build North Liberty hospital
University of Iowa Health Care has reapplied for the state certificate it needs to build a new $230 million facility in North Liberty after its first request was denied amid criticism it was swerving out of its lane, taking patients from community hospitals and clinics, and threatening those facilities’ existence. Although the new application still seeks to build on 60 acres in North Liberty, UIHC this time is recharacterizing its request as a “modernization” of its health facility. (The Gazette)
Health report finds nearly one in five Iowa households without broadband access
An annual report on local health has found nearly one in five Iowa households does not have access to broadband. The report uses more than 30 measures to rank counties on their health. This is the first year it’s used broadband access as one of those measures. The report says internet access helps people apply for jobs and stay socially connected for their mental health during the pandemic, and Iowa fell short of the report’s top benchmark of having at least 86% of households with broadband access. (Iowa Public Radio)
MercyOne expansion will make emergency waits shorter, officials say
MercyOne Clinton broke ground Wednesday for an addition to its emergency room. Kay Takes, president of MercyOne Eastern Iowa Region, says the expansion of the emergency room will ensure continued excellent care for the 20,000 people who visit the ER every year and that they can receive that care “right here in Clinton.” The pandemic put construction of the addition on hold, said Amy Berentes, executive vice president and chief operating officer for MercyOne Clinton Medical Center. That delay gave MercyOne time to reimagine the space and make it as efficient as possible. (Clinton Herald)
National news
Black people are in a mental health crisis. Their therapists are busier than ever.
COVID-19 brought on a wave of loss, anxiety, stress, fear, economic instability and isolation across the country, creating, within the pandemic, a mental health crisis. Images of Black people shot and killed by police, mass protests, the shock of the Capitol riot and the opening up of the deep, systemic wounds of racism have brought on another level of trauma. Through it all, Black therapists, who are disproportionately underrepresented in their field, have been in high demand. (NBC News)
Immunity to the coronavirus may persist for years, scientists find
Immunity to the coronavirus lasts at least a year, possibly a lifetime, improving over time especially after vaccination, according to two new studies. The findings may help put to rest lingering fears that protection against the virus will be short-lived. Together, the studies suggest that most people who have recovered from COVID-19 and were later immunized will not need boosters. But vaccinated people who were never infected most likely will need the shots, as will a minority who were infected but did not produce a robust immune response. (The New York Times)
China hits back at Wuhan lab leak ‘conspiracy’ after Biden calls for COVID-19 probe
China on Thursday hit back at President Joe Biden’s call to redouble efforts to determine the origins of the coronavirus, and dismissed a theory that it may have leaked from a laboratory in its city of Wuhan as a “conspiracy.” Chinese officials accused the US of politicizing the pandemic and said that international experts had “repeatedly praised China’s open and transparent attitude” to COVID-19’s origins. (NBC News)