< All Tracks
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SESSION 1
Addressing long-term care challenges in Iowa
Iowa nursing homes face heightened scrutiny after reports of deaths, abuse and neglect in recent years. This session will look at the issues and challenges facing Iowa’s long-term care facilities, from staffing, to training, family access, and security.
Held on October 10, 2024 at 9:35AM
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SESSION 2
Protecting Iowa's health care workers
Health Care and social service workers face some of the highest rates of workplace violence. Current Iowa law makes it a crime to assault health care providers. This session will discuss whether that’s enough, and what more can be done.
Held on October 10, 2024 at 10:40AM
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SESSION 3
Cancer in Iowa
Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the nation and the fastest growing rate of new cancers. What’s behind that rate, and what’s being done to address it? Iowa legislators on both sides of the aisle have proposed bills aimed at cancer prevention in the state. This session will look at access to treatment, insurance, and testing used to diagnose, treat, manage or monitor cancer.
Held on October 10, 2024 at 11:45AM
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SESSION 4
Equitable treatment and services in health care
For immigrants who have just arrived in Iowa, emergency dental care may be one of the first issues that leads to seeking out medical treatment. But language barriers and cultural differences can make it difficult for refugee families to navigate the limited options. This session will discuss the barriers, resources and supports needed in Iowa for a growing diverse population.
Held on October 10, 2024 at 1:55PM
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SESSION 5
Bolstering Iowa's maternal health system
Iowa's maternal death rate and infant mortality rate have spiked as birthing units have closed in recent years. A 2023 report from the March of Dimes found a third of Iowa's counties are "maternity care deserts." This session will explore how state policies have and have not worked to improve outcomes for moms and babies, and what's missing in efforts to bolster Iowa's maternal health system.
Held on October 10, 2024 at 3:00PM
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SESSION 6
Solving the health care worker shortage
Iowa’s hospitals are facing a perfect storm. About 70 percent of medical facilities report struggling to find qualified nurses, while at the same time nursing schools are turning away prospective students because of capacity issues. What are Iowa institutions and state officials doing to address this industry challenge?
Held on October 11, 2024 at 9:40AM
Health Care Articles
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State lawmakers should increase taxes on tobacco and restrict the use of indoor tanning beds by minors to help reduce new instances of cancer in Iowa, according to a Thursday Iowa Ideas panel of experts. “The public health evidence would say that the single biggest, most effective change that we could make in Iowa is to raise the tobacco tax by ...
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The question that wakes Iowa’s health care leaders up at night is whether they will have enough nurses and other staff to care for Iowa’s patients and long-term care residents. “The most challenging issue that is systemic is the workforce shortage,” said Angela Van Pelt, Iowa’s long-term care ombudsman. “In our world, it’s people who work in lo...
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Emergency preparedness plans take into account unconnected disasters taking place at the same time. But the confluence of the derecho and pandemic — and the need to follow public health measures that, at times, clashed with typical natural disaster response — placed an additional burden on Cedar Rapids hospitals.
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Even as much of the nation began to emerge from the pandemic this summer, some have struggled to feel as if things are back to normal. The percentage of Americans reporting feelings of anxiety or depression spiked this past year as the COVID-19 spread across the globe and into the United States by early March 2020.
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The pandemic public health emergency placed an overwhelming burden on an already underfunded and understaffed public health workforce. For at least 15 months, staff at public health agencies have worked seven days a week, sometimes unable to take more than two hours away at a time from their email and phones, administrators told The Gazette. The...
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The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the state's health care system in truly unique ways as elective and preventive care was put on hold for weeks. What did health care systems learn from the pandemic and how does it change how the state's health care system will work going forward? How did health care come together, and how can it be improved? We'l...
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The COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice protests following the murder of George Floyd brought the disparities that communities of color have with health care. We'll take a look into the gaps Blacks and Latinx communities face when it comes to health care access. What is being done to close these gaps and what challenges exist in Iowa? Panelis...
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Prescription drug prices is a pocketbook issue with voters, but progress in controlling prescription drug pricing has been difficult to get traction on. The COVID-19 pandemic complicated an already difficult scenario too. How have state reforms been working and what will it take to get meaningful on the issue? Panelists Include: Anthony Carroll,...
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With Iowa's rural health providers seeing challenges even in the best of times, the coronavirus pandemic has brought forth an entire new host of challenges for Iowa's rural health providers. The pause on appointments had a big impact to finances, but how did telehealth help and could some of those changes become permanent? How does Iowa's rural ...
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The elements of 2020 are ingredients for a dramatic increase in mental health issues across the state. Quarantine fatigue, political stressors, shifts in family and social dynamics are jolting all areas of life. How do we differentiate between expected bouts of anxiety vs. high-risk, long-term impact? Panelists include: Peggy Huppert, NAMI; Jaco...
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