Iowa news
Take time to take care of your mental health
Coping with stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health struggles can be challenging, and for some, it can be even tougher as the holidays wind down. When stress reaches its peak, it’s time to take a step back and remind yourself that it is possible to manage and take control of your mental health. As the only certified community behavioral health clinic in the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities and Muscatine region, UnityPoint Health-Robert Young Center is here if you need help and support navigating difficult times. The transition from the end of the holiday season isn’t always easy. For some, the holidays can bring with them complex family dynamics that can trigger painful emotions. Once the holidays come to an end, people begin processing those emotions and may realize they need help navigating their feelings. (Quad City Times)
Allen Women’s Health brings maternal health to BCHC specialty clinics
As part of the Women’s Health specialty clinic at Buchanan County Health Center, Allen Women’s Health will bring the Iowa Health Pregnancy Program (maternal health) to the BCHC specialty clinic on every other Monday of the month, beginning in February. Iowa’s Maternal Health Programs provide family-centered, community-based, and preventive health services to Medicaid eligible and other low-income pregnant women including education about breastfeeding, the labor and birthing process, safe sleep practices, oral health, tobacco cessation, and other important information to help families have a healthy pregnancy and beyond. Most topics are covered by a registered nurse. Families also meet with a social worker to discuss community resources, emotional concerns, eligibility for Medicaid and other related topics. (Independence Bulletin Journal)
The top items on 5 chief medical officers’ to-do lists
Clinical leaders nationwide know employee burnout, medicine shortages and respiratory infections, among a wealth of other challenges, have created the not-so-perfect storm in hospitals. Dave Williams, M.D., chief clinical officer and senior vice president, UnityPoint Health, said, “With workplace violence incidents escalating and staffing shortages across the board in health care right now, prioritizing the well-being of our care teams is at the top of my to-do list. There’s no question our teams are resilient, but when you figure in three years battling a pandemic and a major increase in additional respiratory illnesses, it’s a lot.” (Becker’s Hospital Review)
National news
Hospital CEO turnover hits a noteworthy low
Companies announced 1,235 CEO exits in 2022, with 103 occurring in hospitals and health systems, a noteworthy low for the sector. The 103 moves in hospitals in 2022 were down 8% from 2021. The number marks the second-lowest annual total since 2015. The only other year that brought fewer CEO exits was 2020, when 101 changes were recorded as executives delayed retirements or exit plans amid the pandemic. Across all 29 industries and sectors measured, the 1,235 CEO exits recorded in 2022 were down 8% from the 1,337 CEOs who left their posts in 2021. It’s the lowest annual total since 2017. Government and nonprofits, technology, health care and health care products, and hospitals topped all industries for CEO changes in 2022. (Challenger, Gray and Christmas)
What we know about COVID-19 infection during pregnancy
A COVID-19 infection at any point during pregnancy increases the risk to both mother and child, according to a new study that compiled previous findings of more than 13,000 people. Compared to pregnant people who were not infected, pregnant people who contracted COVID-19 faced 23 times higher risk for pneumonia, five times higher risk for requiring critical care, 15 times higher risk for mechanical ventilation, nearly four times higher risk for intensive care and more than seven times higher risk for death. Newborns whose mother was infected were nearly twice as likely to be born preterm or require care in a neonatal unit. Infection was not linked to stillbirth. Vaccination during pregnancy reduces those risks. (BMJ Journals)
47% of physicians are 55 or older
Of active physicians in the U.S. in 2021, 46.7% were 55 or older, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ “2022 Physician Specialty Data Report.” The report is based on data from the American Medical Association, the Census Bureau, and a national resident database and tracking system. Overall, the report covers about 950,000 physicians and physicians in training among 48 of the largest specialties in 2021. The specialties with the largest numbers of active physicians are primary care specialties of internal medicine, family medicine and general practice, and pediatrics. Female physicians comprise 37.1% of the active physician workforce. Percentages of women in the 48 top specialties ranged from a high of 65% in pediatrics to a low of 5.9% in orthopedic surgery. (Becker’s Hospital Review)