Iowa news Iowa hospital recipient of emergency rural health care grant At UnityPoint Grinnell Regional Medical Center, the Des Moines office of USDA Rural Development was on hand to present in person one of 17 grants for health care projects statewide. UnityPoint Grinnell was awarded two grants close to $1

Iowa news Hospitalizations drop, but cases are ticking up Two years ago, on Nov. 17, 2020, Iowa reported 1,527 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state’s hospitals. That was the most reported at any point in the pandemic. Two years later, on Nov. 16, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health

Iowa news Manchester hospital joins program aimed at reducing opioid misuse Manchester’s Regional Medical Center is one of the first four rural health care facilities in the state to join a program designed to reduce opioid misuse in Iowa by implementing altered surgical protocols. Manchester’s Regional Medical Center is participating

Iowa news What is the rural emergency hospital designation? Does it work with CMS? Federal officials have finalized rules on a new payment model for hospitals that aims to preserve access to certain medical services in rural areas. With the increase in the number of rural hospital closures over the

Iowa news Voters in 5 of 8 Iowa counties pass EMS essential funding Voters in eight of Iowa’s 99 counties had EMS essential funding referendums on their ballots on Nov. 8. Five counties received the required 60% threshold to pass the ballot referendum. In Iowa, EMS is not considered an

Iowa news MercyOne to use technology to transform into a PHSO MercyOne wants to evolve its accountable care organization from good to great — a tough task in rural America, where value-based care is a lofty concept. The health system is partnering with technology vendor Signify Health, beginning next year,

Iowa news UnityPoint spins off 3 Illinois hospitals to Carle Health Urbana, Illinois-based Carle Health signed a strategic affiliation agreement with Peoria, Ill.-based UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois and Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health. The agreement results in Carle Health taking over as the parent organization of UnityPoint Health –

Iowa news MercyOne restores all hospital and clinic information systems MercyOne Central Iowa has said that all hospital and clinic systems are back online, including the payroll platform and patient records, following a ransomware attack on its former parent company CommonSpirit Health. The outage lasted more than two weeks, during

Iowa news Iowa Hospital Association honors UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital employees The Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) honored two UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital team members at its annual meeting, Carmen Kleinsmith and Clif White. Kleinsmith, senior vice president and chief nurse executive at UnityPoint Health – St.

Iowa news Des Moines mental health provider using $4 million grant to expand substance abuse help Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health Services has received a multimillion dollar federal grant to expand substance use disorder treatment and increase access to other mental health services. The Des Moines-based provider was granted $4

Iowa news Committee cites goals of Nov. 8 Winnebago County EMS levy, surcharge proposal The Winnebago County EMS Levy Committee and Supervisors Board recently completed a series of informational meetings at locations countywide about its public measure on the Nov. 8 election ballot. The proposed Winnebago County EMS levy and

Iowa news Who’s running for Broadlawns’ board? These 6 candidates are running for 3 open seats Six candidates are on the ballot this November for the board for Polk County’s public hospital. Three spots are open on the seven-member board that oversees Broadlawns Medical Center, the Des Moines hospital funded