Iowa news
Gov. Kim Reynolds fills state health advisory board a month after it had too few members to meet
The state board of health can again meet and advise on public health matters after needing to cancel a meeting because of a lack of members. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced seven new appointees to as many vacant seats Friday afternoon. The 11-member advisory board is tasked with providing a forum for developing public health policy in the state. Five members left the board on June 30, four of which coincided with the end of their terms. Another seat had been vacant since November 2020. That left the board with too few members to meet in mid-July, as state law requires a majority. (Des Moines Register)
Most Des Moines hospitals don’t require employee COVID-19 shots — but that could change
Most Des Moines hospitals are not yet joining a national trend to require health care employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, although the region’s two largest hospital systems are considering it. Among the Des Moines area’s eight hospitals, only the Veterans Affairs Medical Center requires employees to be vaccinated if they care for patients. (Business Record)
Opinion: Expand access to health care, get rid of Iowa’s harmful certificate of need law
Increasing access to quality health care in Iowa is a priority. Sadly, rural hospitals suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic as many could not offer outpatient procedures, which resulted in a major financial loss and forced some patients to go without care. Many rural hospitals also closed maternity wards, and more mental health care providers are needed. To increase access to health care policymakers, need to consider repealing obsolete certificate of need laws, which restrict access and competition. (Des Moines Register)
National news
How hospitals are gearing up virtual care for the delta variant surge
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to increase across areas of the U.S. with low vaccination rates, the demand for telehealth intensive care unit and emergency room services is also on the rise, Politico reported July 28. Almost 30 million Americans live more than an hour from a trauma center, signaling that the demand for teletrauma care could outlast the delta variant and future COVID surges, according to the report. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
CDC internal report calls delta variant as contagious as chickenpox
The Delta variant is much more contagious, more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus, according to an internal presentation circulated within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The New York Times)
Physicians who post COVID-19 vaccine misinformation may lose license, medical panel says
The Federation of State Medical Boards warned July 29 that physicians and other health care professionals could be at risk of losing their medical licenses if they spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on social media, online and in the media. (Becker’s Hospital Review)