Health Care and Medicine

Under the new program, Mercy Medical will provide financial assistance and salaries to Mount Mercy University nursing students, and in exchange, those students will work at the hospital after graduation.

The number of virus-related hospitalizations also is down as the state emerges from the omicron surge.

The scientists from Florida State University and Duke University found that 90% of children born in the U.S. between 1950 and 1981 had blood-lead levels higher than the CDC threshold. And the researchers found significant impact on cognitive development: on average, early childhood exposure to lead resulted in a 2.6-point drop in IQ.

Officials announced Monday that they have identified bird flu in a commercial turkey flock in northwest Iowa, the state's second case of a virus that has been identified in multiple U.S. states.

Tuesday marks the second anniversary since COVID-19 arrived in the state. In the two years since his bout with the virus, the first patient hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa says the virus continues its lasting impact on his health.

Cancer screenings dropped in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising alarms for providers that the trend could result in an increase in more severe disease and preventable deaths.

Kirkwood Community College’s Certified Nursing Assistant program, whether hybrid or traditional, runs between four and 10 weeks, and the school has programs that can help with tuition assistance, too.

This week marks the second year since the novel coronavirus first arrived in Iowa, bringing with it a deadly disease that went on to kill thousands and infect tens of thousands more. But in recent weeks, things have changed. Some have begun to relax, wondering if COVID-19 finally is reaching endemic stage. However, for some vulnerable groups, the risk they still face has not changed.

A University of Iowa internal medicine professor and clinician known for her stunning personal account of reversing multiple sclerosis symptoms has landed $2.5 million to further investigate ways diet might improve the quality of life for those with the autoimmune disease.

QHC Facilities, which owns eight skilled-nursing facilities — including Crestview Acres in Marion — and two assisted-living centers in Iowa, filed for bankruptcy protection in late December.

The CDC now lists Johnson County as having “medium” community transmission, but the Board of Supervisors also discussed the need to be flexible if there is another surge in cases.

The latest COVID-19 surge in Iowa continues to wind down as hospitalization rates have dropped this week. New cases did see a slight uptick, and vaccination rates continue its slow upward movement.