Iowa news Iowa starts 2022 with more than 20,000 new reported COVID cases, more than any week in 2021 Iowa has entered 2022 accumulating COVID-19 cases at a rate faster than it ever reached in 2021, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health’s weekly data released on Wednesday. The

Iowa news Johnson County Public Health maintains contact tracing, but emphasizes education Johnson County Public Health has shifted its COVID-19 contact tracing efforts, focusing on notification over case investigation of individual infections within the county. As other local agencies are scaling back their contact tracing — or discontinuing the process

Iowa news Patients discharged after COVID-19 are so sick they’re returning to the hospital Des Moines writer Andie Dominick caught up again with Dr. Tom Benzoni, a local emergency room physician, to talk about the coronavirus pandemic. He has been interviewed for the Register numerous times since the coronavirus pandemic

Iowa News University of Iowa Health Care names CFO Mark Henrichs was appointed associate vice president for finance and chief financial officer for University of Iowa Health Care effective immediately. Henrichs was interim chief financial officer since August. (Becker’s Hospital Review) State-run Iowa Veterans Home hit by seventh COVID-19 outbreak

Iowa news As another COVID-19 winter break looms, Iowa schools differ on when it’s ‘safe’ to unmask Iowa public school officials who enacted mask requirements this fall are facing tough questions about how and when to determine it’s “safe” to phase them out. Nobody seems to have an answer. As

Iowa news Waterloo hospitals get help from traveling nurses sent by state With the delta variant surging and omicron spreading, local hospitals are getting much-needed help with persistent staffing issues from an Iowa program providing traveling nurses across the state. “Hospitals are in a staffing crisis,” said Jennifer Nutt of

Iowa news UnityPoint explores selling three hospitals to Carle Health UnityPoint Health is exploring a deal to sell three of its hospitals in central Illinois to Urbana, Illinois-based Carle Health. Under the nonbinding letter of intent, announced Dec. 13, Carle Health is looking to acquire UnityPoint Health-Methodist, UnityPoint Health-Proctor and

Iowa news Nursing home worker who refused to wear a mask is denied jobless benefits An Iowa nursing home worker who quit her job rather than wear a face mask intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 is not entitled to jobless benefits, a judge has ruled. According to state

Iowa News COVID-19 patient count in Iowa hospitals hits another 2021 record The Covid patient count in Iowa hospitals has reached 777, another record high for 2021. It’s a 7% increase since last Wednesday.  The hospital continues to prepare for more COVID-19 patients — including transfers from other hospitals —

Iowa news Doctor: Even as we learn about omicron, I’m less afraid than before, both personally and professionally Basically, by giving delta a lot of raw material (vulnerable people) to experiment on, omicron was inevitable. It can and, indeed, must spring up in other places. Why? You know the concept

Iowa news In midst of workforce shortages, health care employers turn to apprentices The staff shortage within the health care industry — exacerbated by factors from the coronavirus pandemic — has hospitals and other health care organizations using new methods to recruit and retain medical professionals. In some cases, that

Iowa News State explains about-face on University of Iowa hospital in North Liberty In explaining its reversal of an earlier decision to deny University of Iowa Health Care permission to build in North Liberty, Iowa’s five-member State Health Facilities Council highlighted the role semantics played in its about-face. In submitting a request for a