Iowa news
Opinion: Where is the Iowa that used to pull together to solve problems, like rubella?
Although rubella is generally a relatively mild disease in young children, the elimination of endemic rubella in Iowa has prevented pregnant women from becoming infected. This has prevented many cases of blindness, deafness, congenital heart defects and other birth defects. A great public health success story, but it was accomplished because everyone worked together. We need that cultural force in Iowa again to successfully address COVID-19. (Des Moines Register)
How Cedar Valley mental health advocates think suicide rate will change
Tom Eachus, executive director of the Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center, is surprised there has not been a huge spike in the area suicide rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that hasn’t lessened his concern about a possible rise in numbers in the future because of the corresponding surges that have followed past crises. Think the SARS epidemic, Ebola virus, Great Depression, Great Recession, or any disaster, he says. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Madison County Health Care System is a Top Workplace – but isn’t stopping there
With nearly 200 full- and part-time employees, Madison County Health Care System is one of the county’s biggest employers. They launched a three-year Service Excellence Initiative. One of the most important steps in this program is to designate the best of the best frontline individuals in each department who are chosen as Service Excellence Advisors. Their role is to train employees on what to do to help Madison County Health Care System become the employer and provider of choice. (Des Moines Register)
National news
National cyber director says hospitals under attack have no choice but to pay ransom
High profile ransomware attacks have dipped after a summer of relentless attacks, but National Cyber Director Chris Inglis said it’s too soon to tell if this downward trend is permanent, according to a Sept. 9 CyberScoop report. The US has not figured out how to prevent hackers from accessing systems, how to bring them to justice or how to follow the traces of ransom payments. All of that creates a weakness. The US discourages companies from paying ransoms, but hospitals may have no choice when they are under attack because it affects their ability to deliver care to patients. (Becker’s Health IT)
How will Biden’s vaccine mandate impact workers, companies?
President Joe Biden announced new mandates last week to spur Americans who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 to get a shot. The measures apply to more than 100 million workers, but it is not known how many of those are already vaccinated. Here is a look at what the measures do and do not do. (Reuters)
Vaccination mandates — and backlash — are American tradition
As disease and death reigned around them, some Americans declared that they would never get vaccinated and raged at government efforts to compel them. Anti-vaccination groups spread propaganda about terrible side effects and corrupt doctors. State officials tried to ban mandates, and people made fake vaccination certificates to evade inoculation rules already in place. The years were 1898 to 1903, and the disease was smallpox. (The New York Times)