Iowa news
Report ranks Dallas as Iowa’s healthiest county, Montgomery as No. 99
A new report details the healthiest — and least healthy — counties in Iowa, based on more than 30 factors that influence how long and how well people live. One of the big expenses families face is child care. The report finds the typical Iowa family with two children will spend 24% of their annual income on child care, just one point below the national average of 25%. (Iowa Public Radio)
COVID-19 hospitalizations, positive tests increase in Iowa
State and federal officials are reporting COVID-19 hospitalizations and positive tests have increased in Iowa. Federal officials report 84 Iowans are hospitalized for COVID-19, and Iowa health officials confirmed 1,994 positive coronavirus tests in the past week. More than 58% of Iowans are fully vaccinated, including just about a quarter of the state’s 5- to 11-year-olds. State officials also reported 19 additional COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total to 9,529. (Iowa Public Radio)
Axne backs bipartisan telehealth expansion bill
Efforts are underway in Congress to ensure telehealth services beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne and North Carolina Congressman Richard Hudson cosponsor the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act, which grants a two-year extension for waivers allowing Medicare beneficiaries to access necessary services through telehealth, and makes more providers eligible to offer telehealth. The waivers were originally issued at the start of the pandemic two years ago. The bill ensures rural health clinics and community health centers can continue to provide telehealth services. (KMA-FM)
National news
Wright Lassiter named CommonSpirit CEO
Wright Lassiter will replace Lloyd Dean as CEO of the largest not-for-profit health system by revenue in the country. Lassiter, the CEO of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health since 2016, will take over Monday, Aug. 1 when Dean retires. The incoming CEO is tasked with helping CommonSpirit emerge from the pandemic amid a nationwide labor shortage, which will be a key area of focus. (Modern Healthcare)
Hospital CEO exits nearly double this year
Twenty-nine hospital CEOs exited their roles in the first three months of this year, nearly double the 15 chiefs who stepped down from their positions in the same period of 2021, according to a report from Challenger, Gray and Christmas, an executive outplacement and coaching firm. Hospitals announced 12 CEO exits in January, 14 in February and three in March. Across all industries, 395 CEOs stepped down from their positions in the first quarter of this year, up 29% from a year earlier. Few CEOs left their roles during 2020 and 2021, with some leaders delaying retirement plans because of the pandemic. This year, a wave of postponed departures is expected, according to Fortune. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Racial split on COVID-19 endures as restrictions ease in U.S.
Black and Hispanic Americans remain far more cautious in their approach to COVID-19 than white Americans, recent polls show, reflecting diverging preferences on how to deal with the pandemic as federal, state and local restrictions fall by the wayside. Despite majority favorability among U.S. adults overall for measures like mask mandates, public health experts said divided opinions among racial groups reflect not only the unequal impact of the pandemic on people of color but also apathy among some white Americans. (Modern Healthcare)