Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|March 29, 2021

Iowa news

Mental health funding shift needs more conversation, Grassley says

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley did not rule out shifting funding for mental health care services from local property taxes to the state’s general fund, but Grassley said such a shift is more complicated than just the funding mechanism. The Republican-led Iowa Senate last week approved legislation that would, in phases, shift the funding for services in the state’s regional mental health care system to the state. Currently, those services are funded by local property taxes. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

Iowa health care providers join nationwide movement to improve older adults’ care

Health systems in Iowa are recognizing the importance of addressing the health needs of the state’s rapidly growing number of older adults by participating in a movement to better identify and address their unique care needs. Six hospitals, medical practices, convenient care clinics, and/or nursing homes in Iowa have joined Age-Friendly Health Systems. (StreetInsider.com)

Iowa’s COVID-19 positivity rates continue to climb

Iowa’s COVID-19 positivity rates continue to climb after months of declines. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 110 new positive virus tests and seven additional deaths Monday. At 10 am, the health department reported 378,006 total positive tests, 331,668 total recoveries and 5,725 total deaths since the pandemic began. A day earlier, the health department reported 377,896 total positive tests and 5,718 total deaths. (KCCI)

 

National news

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, even for babies, study shows

COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective at protecting pregnant women and likely provide protection for their babies as well, according to a new study. The research, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, examined 131 vaccine recipients, including 84 who were pregnant, 31 who were breastfeeding and 16 who weren’t pregnant as a control group. (MSN.com)

Hundreds of thousands of Americans likely died needlessly from Covid-19, Dr. Deborah Birx, a Trump administration official, suggested in a CNN report.

Dr. Deborah Birx, in an interview for CNN’s documentary “Covid War: The Pandemic Doctors Speak Out,” said deaths in the first wave of the pandemic were likely inevitable but that the death toll from later surges could have been greatly reduced with more stringent mitigation efforts. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, warned again the nation could be at risk of a new surge. (The New York Times)

Biden’s funding offer shifts Medicaid expansion debate

Republicans who long opposed Medicaid expansion and Democrats who long supported it in the Wyoming House joined together to pass its expansion, potentially signaling the beginning of a change nationwide that could bring health care to those in the coverage gap. Expanding Medicaid is an option available to states since 2014 through the Affordable Care Act, yet Wyoming and 11 other states have refused to take up the federal government’s offer. About 2.2 million people, who earn too much for Medicaid and too little for Obamacare subsidies, fall in that coverage gap nationwide. (NBC News)

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