Iowa news
Help wanted: Nursing occupations are most needed in Iowa
Nearly 90,000 jobs are posted on the Iowa Works website, and a listing of the top 25 postings shows there is a great need for nurses. Registered nurses make up the top spot, with nearly 4,800 jobs posted. The second greatest need in the state is for truck drivers with nearly 2,400 postings. Nursing assistants make up the third spot on the list, with 1,252 open positions. There are also 1,201 open positions for retail sales and 1,013 customer service representative job openings in Iowa. (KCCI)
ChildServe to expand Ames facility, double capacity
ChildServe has announced to its donors the launch of an $8 million expansion project that will double the size of its Ames facility and enable it to serve twice the number of children on the Ames campus within the next five years. The Johnston-based nonprofit also announced the kickoff of a $2 million fundraising campaign towards the project. As a specialty pediatric health care provider, ChildServe provides more than 30 services to over 5,200 children statewide. The nonprofit provides care for children and teens, from birth to age 21, who have experienced medical conditions related to brain injury, spinal cord injury, orthopedic rehabilitation, and burn and wound care, as well as providing follow-up care for neo-intensive care unit infants after they leave the hospital. (Business Record)
Genesis hosts mock trauma drill event to court health care industry hopefuls
Genesis Health System looked to recruit its next generation of health care workers through a mock trauma drill. It’s all part of the hospital’s GAIN program, where high school students can explore different aspects of health care work. Currently, Genesis health has over 200 job openings systemwide. UnityPoint Health – Trinity will host a similar mock trauma drill next weekend. (WQAD)
National news
Doctors using AI catch breast cancer more often than either does alone
Radiologists assisted by artificial intelligence screen for breast cancer more successfully than they do when they work alone, according to new research. That same AI also produces more-accurate results in the hands of a radiologist than it does when operating solo. The large-scale study is the first to directly compare AI’s performance in breast cancer screening according to whether it’s used alone or to help a human expert. The hope is that such AI systems could save lives by detecting cancers doctors miss, free up radiologists to see more patients and ease the burden in places where there is a dire lack of specialists. (MIT Technology Review)
One Medical acquisition reveals Amazon’s health care strategy
Amazon is taking a $3.9 billion step toward expanding its primary care options with the acquisition of One Medical, a publicly traded, membership-based primary care practice offering virtual and brick-and-mortar services to commercially insured patients. Amazon has been persistent in its health care push even after the company’s joint health care-specific venture with J.P. Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway disbanded last year. Amazon signed its first customers to Amazon Care, a medical care service it’s selling to employer health plans, last year, and in February said it was expanding Amazon Care’s virtual primary care and urgent care services nationally into 20 cities. (Modern Healthcare)
Nurse diversity linked to a reduced risk of maternal health issues, study finds
Hiring a more diverse nurse workforce may help address “racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes” and improve maternal health, according to a report from Columbia University researchers. The findings, which were published earlier this month in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, revealed that states with the highest nurse diversity reported fewer health complications for moms during childbirth, including eclampsia, blood transfusion, hysterectomy and intensive care unit admission. (NBC News)