Iowa news Nearly half of Iowa’s kids aren’t vaccinated against deadly HPV virus Nearly two decades since the vaccine against the human papillomavirus first arrived in Iowa, local public health officials in parts of the state say they still struggle to persuade residents to vaccinate their children. In 2023, about

Iowa news Floyd Valley Auxiliary sponsors health care scholarships for area students The Floyd Valley Auxiliary will award area students three $2,000 “tuition only” scholarships this spring. This past fall, the Auxiliary board voted to add a scholarship award. To be eligible, the applicant must be a Floyd Valley Healthcare

Iowa news Breaking down the 80-page bill overhauling Iowa’s mental health system Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to overhaul Iowa’s “fractured” mental health and disability service systems is advancing at the Iowa Capitol. The 80-page bill, introduced to the legislature last week, lays out the governor’s plan to reshape mental health

Iowa news Analysis shows Iowa ED wait times are fourth-lowest CMS data shows patients in Iowa had the fourth lowest median time spent in emergency departments. Washington, D.C., patients had the longest time, while North Dakota had the shortest. The agency’s “Timely and Effective Care” dataset tracks patients’ average time

Iowa news Iowa Methodist Medical Center receives $1 million endowment for director position P. Sue Beckwith, M.D., a colorectal surgeon and the first female graduate of the Iowa Methodist Surgery Residency Program, has made a $1 million commitment to endow the director position of the general surgery residency program at

Iowa news Oakland, Iowa designated a physician shortage area for over 45 years Over 180 areas in the United States have been federally designated as primary care shortage areas for at least 40 years. One of those areas is Oakland in southeast Iowa. It’s been designated a physician shortage area

Iowa news Hy-Vee becomes joint owner of Exemplar Care Hy-Vee has become a joint owner of Exemplar Care. As a result, Exemplar Care medical clinics in the Des Moines area will now be Hy-Vee Health Exemplar Care. Under the agreement, Hy-Vee Health Exemplar Care medical clinics will offer direct primary

Iowa news New radiation therapy at UI targets tumors more precisely UI Health Care is the first medical center in North America and the second worldwide to cross over into the next phase of MR-Linac technology, offering even more precise real-time targeting of soft tissue tumors with radiation therapy. MR-Linac

Iowa news Mercy Medical Center earns Blue Distinction for outstanding, affordable maternity care Mercy Medical Center has been recognized as a Blue Distinction Center+ for having high-quality, cost-effective maternity care facilities. The Blue Distinction Specialty Care Program is part of the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s National Health Equity

Iowa news Federal fix for rural hospitals has few takers so far The hospital in Keokuk, which served rural areas of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, closed Oct. 1, 2022. But new owners plan to reopen the hospital with the help of a recent federal payment system. The rural emergency hospital

Iowa news Wastewater in Midwest states carries high levels of COVID-19, says CDC Iowa is among several Midwestern states where wastewater is showing elevated levels of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease and Control describe virus levels as “very high,” indicating that COVID-19 is spreading again. So far, there has not

Iowa news Pella Regional recognized for maternity care Wellmark, Blue Cross and Blue Shield recognized Pella Regional Health Center as a Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Each facility must safely deliver cost-effective, quality care to earn this designation. (Oskaloosa Herald)