Health Care and Medicine

Eric Dalton, the new chief executive officer at PCI in Cedar Rapids, says the medical specialty group has managed the financial headwinds caused by the ongoing pandemic and is “ahead of schedule” on future growth.

Iowacoviddata.com will serve as a central source of Iowa COVID-19 data, intended to pull together in one place as much of the same information as the state health department previously gathered on its website.

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline this week, reaching the lowest numbers reported since August, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over a 2020 law that introduced a 24-hour waiting period before a person could obtain an abortion in Iowa. In appealing the case, the state is asking the court to overturn a 2018 state Supreme Court ruling that upheld the fundamental right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution.

The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital as it prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week.

This March marks two years since COVID-19 arrived in Iowa. Nearly two years into the pandemic, The Gazette wants to know what you’re thinking as it enters a third year.

The Eastern Iowa Health Center, the community health center in Cedar Rapids, has announced plans to expand its dental clinic. The expansion at the current dental clinic will expand space to 8,000 square feet, adding more dental chairs and growing capacity for providers to see 22,500 patients per year.

The Mercy Pain Clinic offers specialized pain treatments tailored to each individual patient. Patients with new pain or ongoing pain, are welcome to schedule at the Pain Clinic in search of relief.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said earlier this month that state data has show an increase in “incidental” COVID-19 among hospitalized patients in Iowa in recent weeks when compared to hospitalizations rates in 2020. Incidental refers to patients who arrive at the hospital for other reasons, but test positive for the virus as part of routine screening.

Federal health officials approved the Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 in early November. But three months later, national data shows the vaccination rate among this age group is still low.

Eastern Iowa ambulance service providers are busier than ever, but in the past year also have struggled to recruit new emergency medical service staff members.

Federal officials fined Dunlap Specialty Care $62,283, alleging the home had failed to take the necessary steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.