Capitol Notebook: 3 Iowa regional health care facilities receive Centers of Excellence grants

Three Iowa health care facilities received Centers of Excellence grants from the Department of Health and Human Services in an effort to improve rural health care and delivery, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Thursday.

The grants, totaling $2.2 million, will go to Cass Health, Mahaska Health and Van Buren County Hospital..

The funds will go toward building regional partnerships that offer maternal health care, specialty care in cardiology and oncology, and care for geriatric patients, the governor’s office said.

The centers will offer services in 21 counties. Each facility will receive up to $250,000 a year.

“The Centers of Excellence grants not only support health care providers in improving access to specialty care in rural communities, but sustaining it long term,” Reynolds said. “I’m thrilled that this program will help three more regional health systems address the specific needs of their surrounding communities, and I’m committed to growing legislative support for these efforts.”

The Centers of Excellence program got a $425,000 boost in funding in the budget passed by state lawmakers this year.

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Iowa awards $580K to improve 6 lakes

The state of Iowa has awarded $580,000 in water quality money to improve six publicly owned lakes across the state.

The program, which is jointly administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, provides cost-share funding to landowners for conservation practices on private land within watersheds above publicly owned lakes and reservoirs.

Eligible practices include soil conservation and water quality practices that reduce nutrient loss and sediment delivery to Iowa’s public lakes.

The program will provide $580,267 in funding for targeted conservation practices that includes 560 acres of cover crops, 50,890 feet of terraces, 12 grade stabilization structures, four water and sediment control basins, and 11 acres of grassed waterways, according to a news release.

“Iowa’s many public lakes are key assets to our state, and we want to ensure that Iowans can enjoy these beautiful attractions for generations to come,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement.

“Building partnerships with other government agencies, private organizations, farmers and landowners is the proven model that will ensure we can continue to accelerate conservation practice adoption across the state and make even more water quality progress.”

Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts submit applications, which the Iowa DNR uses to establish a priority list of watersheds above significant public lakes. Private landowners are then eligible to receive additional cost-share for practices that improve water quality.

“Iowans value water quality and desire safe, healthy lakes in their pursuit of outdoor recreation,” Iowa DNR Director Kayla Lyon said in the news release.

The money will pay for conservation practices at the Clarke County Reservoir, Lake Geode in Des Moines County near Danville, Lake Icaria in Adams County north of Corning, Lake Miami in Monroe County north of Albia, Three Mile Lake and Twelve Mile Like in Union County north of Afton.

IAble hits $20 million in assets

Iowa State Treasurer Roby Smith announced this week a program for Iowans with disabilities to save tax-free now has $20 million in assets.

Iowa’s Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, plan, administered by the treasurer’s office, provides individuals with disabilities and their support systems a way to save money while still maintaining their eligibility for federal means-tested programs like Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid, according to a news release.

Individuals can contribute up to $17,000 a year into an account to pay for assistive technology, support services, food, housing, medical bills and other qualified expenses. Without an ABLE plan, resource limits for many federal programs are capped at $2,000, according to the release.

“Now they can save for expenses that will greatly improve their health, independence or quality of life without risking eligibility for their crucial public benefits,” Smith said in a statement.

More information is at IAble.gov.

Consultant surveying operations of new health, human services department

Effective July 1, the Iowa Departments of Aging, Human Rights, Human Services and Public Health, as well as Early Childhood Iowa, the Iowa Child Advocacy Board and Volunteer Iowa, joined together to become the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

As part of the transition, the agency has hired a consulting firm to study ways to boost service delivery following the merger of the state’s former public health and human services departments.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has hired Michigan-based firm Health Management Associates to do a statewide assessment identifying successes and gaps in service delivery as well as opportunities to improve service integration.

The firm held town halls in July and is surveying HHS and state employees, local public health departments, mental health regions, area agencies on aging, community action agencies, family planning services and other stakeholders.

The survey is available at https://healthmanagement.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aa46cNAcZT5hAeG and will be open until Aug. 11.

“Once this assessment is done, our work is just beginning,” according to an Iowa HHS newsletter. “We will continue to ask for input as we work to improve the Iowa HHS system for individuals, families and communities.”

For more information on this project, go to https://hhs.iowa.gov/service-delivery-alignment-assessment-project.

The consulting group is expected to present recommendations to state officials sometime in October.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau