Iowa news Polk County needs more hospital workers. Supervisors have a $1M plan to help fill the gap Faced with severe staffing shortages at local hospitals, the Polk County Board of Supervisors is making a big investment to boost the local health care workforce. County officials announced they awarded $1

Iowa news Genesis nurse named one of Iowa’s best Genesis Health System nurse Lori Crane is among 78 Iowa nurses recognized as 2023 Great Iowa Nurses. The program, formerly 100 Great Iowa Nurses, annually honors Iowa nurses for their contributions to the profession. A committee of people from a variety

Iowa news Group names Lakes Regional and Spencer among the top 100 rural and community hospitals The Chartis Group, a health care consulting firm, has named Lakes Regional Healthcare and Spencer Hospital among its 100 best-performing rural and community hospitals for 2023. Hospitals are rated using publicly available data sets

Iowa news Iowa COVID-19 infection rate increases at least 5% The number of weekly reported COVID-19 infections in the state increased for the second straight week, continuing the reversal of a downward trend in cases that had marked the start of the year. The Iowa Department of Health and Human

Iowa news UI researcher wins global biomedical science prize University of Iowa researcher Michael Welsh, Ph.D., will receive the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences for discoveries leading to the creation of cystic fibrosis treatments. The treatments correct the folding, trafficking and functioning of the mutated cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator. The

Iowa news Medicaid rebasing in Iowa and other states may be ‘too little too late’ for SNFs Medicaid rebasing is driving dealmaking activity for the skilled nursing sector, as enhanced federal funding dries up and operators scramble to account for rising costs of care and a floundering workforce. “Iowa has

Iowa news Fitch: Cyberattacks on nonprofit hospital websites, including UIHC’s, won’t lead to downgrades The recent attacks on U.S. hospitals and health system websites by Russian hacking group Killnet aren’t likely to cause downgrade ratings for nonprofit hospitals and health systems. On Jan. 28, KillNet claimed to have taken down

Iowa news Iowa organization receives grant from National Institute of Health to address maternal morbidity The Iowa chapter of Postpartum Support International has received a $10,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support its Iowa Maternal Group Initiative. The initiative addresses rural maternal morbidity through in-person support groups.

Iowa news Long-term care access at risk in rural Iowa Nursing homes in Iowa are under tremendous financial pressure because of a number of factors that have occurred during the nearly three years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, at Whispering Heights in Rock Valley, total expenses have

Iowa news 13% of U.S. nursing homes that closed in 2022 were in Iowa Seventeen Iowa nursing homes closed last year. All but two were in rural communities. The Medicaid program pays for the care of over half of Iowa nursing home residents. Gov. Kim Reynolds is recommending an increase

Iowa news Critical number of rural Iowa nursing homes close Health care professionals say low pay and a worker shortage have led a dramatic number of nursing homes in rural Iowa to close their doors. They hope increased government funding and more focus on rural health care this year will

Iowa news Iowa telehealth startup OpenLoop plans massive downtown Des Moines expansion On the fourth floor of the Bank of America Building, workers sipped seltzers and dipped chips under a ceiling-high banana tree and a pink neon light. Many of the employees of Des Moines telehealth startup OpenLoop Health were