UnityPoint Health Plans More IT Iowa Layoffs for 2027

New UnityPoint Health IT layoff notices list 230 Iowa workers for February 2027. Here's where the planned cuts are listed.

Dallas County Supervisors to Consider Approving Final Plat of White’s Panther Creek Acres

The Dallas County Board of Supervisors will meet in regular session tomorrow. The Board will hear construction updates about capital projects, including a groundbreaking ceremony for the Adel Emergency Medical Services Station. Items on the agenda that are seeking approval include a resolution for the final plat of White’s Panther...

Sand, Lahn call for increasing mental healthcare access, Medicaid oversight in debate

Both Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn said Tuesday in their final gubernatorial candidate debate that more work was needed to address mental healthcare and the impact of Medicaid privatization on healthcare providers, but the candidates offered different solutions to improving Iowa’s health system. Tuesday’s debate, hosted by KCRG-TV9 and The Gazette in Cedar […]

Health care shakes up the Iowa election

If Democrats flip Congress, health care could find its way to the top of their 2027 agenda.

How a Billion-Dollar Dairy Plant Could Worsen Iowa’s Water Pollution

In Boone, Iowa, a cottage cheese plant is meant to feed the protein craze, but some residents are worried about the manure.

Iowa Medicaid fraud task force recommends growing prosecution unit to 24 positions

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force released its final recommendations, saying the state needs to expand the team that prosecutes fraud. The task force is asking Gov. Kim Reynolds to approve 15 more members for the current nine-person...

Iowa nursing homes lead the nation in short-staffing violations

(Iowa Capital Dispatch – Clark Kauffman) Iowa’s nursing home inspectors issued more citations for insufficient staffing last year than regulators in any other state in the nation, an Iowa Capital Dispatch review of federal data shows. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services data show that 66 Iowa...

Mahaska Health Welcomes Dr. Jessica Aguilera to Family Medicine Team

Mahaska Health is pleased to welcome Jessica Aguilera, DO, a board-certified family medicine physician specializing in comprehensive family care, obstetrics, and women’s health. Dr. Aguilera earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. She completed her family medicine residency...

Letter to the editor: Insurers should cover obesity drugs

Obesity is a chronic disease that can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s health and quality of life. Despite being linked to multiple serious diseases, obesity is often treated as a personal failing rather than a complex, serious medical condition deserving of comprehensive treatment. I would like to...

A scientist was pushed out for studying Iowa’s water. Now he’s running to regulate it.

Sentient reports Chris Jones, Iowa's Democratic nominee for Agriculture Secretary, prioritizes water quality reform after his research on the issue led to his resignation.

FCMC CEO Willis Elected to Iowa Hospital Association Board

Dawnett Willis, chief executive officer (CEO) of Floyd County Medical Center (FCMC), has been elected to a three -year term on the Iowa Hospital Association’s Board of Officers and Trustees . Chris Mitchell, president and CEO of the Iowa Hospital Association, said, “Dawnett is a respected leader whose passion...

Wisconsin Ranks 16th in the Nation for Medicaid Governance

A new 50-state study from The Heartland Institute ranks Wisconsin 16th in the nation for Medicaid governance with a score of 52 out of 100, placing it second among its four neighboring states behind Iowa (7th) and ahead of Minnesota (29th), Illinois (31st), and Michigan (38th). The Medicaid Report Card:...

Iowa nursing homes lead the nation in short-staffing violations

Iowa’s nursing home inspectors issued more citations for insufficient staffing last year than regulators in any other state in the nation, an Iowa Capital Dispatch review of federal data shows. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services data show that 66 Iowa nursing homes were cited at least once for insufficient nursing staff during fiscal […]

A scientist was pushed out for studying Iowa’s water. Now he’s running to regulate it.

Paddlers skim along the water to the sound of gulls. Small waves splash against driftwood and the banks of the Des Moines River. A flotilla of experienced kayakers, canoers who built their own boats and infrequent recreators expands and contracts, making its way downstream. On and off the water, the conversations are the same — Iowans talk about an Iowa that doesn’t exist anymore. Older kayakers lament how they grew up seeing small farms all across the state. Young families express fear for the future of the state’s water, once a place to recreate and fish, now a source of pain and frustration for rural communities and metro areas alike. Chris Jones brings up the back of the flotilla. He points out the occasional drainage ditch or tile and discoloration of the river. While paddlers converse about the wildlife, pointing out kingfishers skimming the water or eagles flying overhead, he moves at a slower pace, casting a fishing line from the side of his grey camouflage kayak. Jones is focused on what’s in the water. Jones, the 65-year-old Democratic nominee for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, says he’s running for office out of a sense of civic responsibility rather than a

Medicare Coverage Changes Coming in 2027; Southeast Iowa Residents Encouraged to Review Plans

Medicare Open Enrollment is underway, and some Southeast Iowa residents could find themselves without their current coverage when the new year begins. Several Medicare Advantage plans are reducing their service areas or discontinuing coverage entirely for 2027, including plans serving Lee, Des Moines, Louisa, Van Buren, Jefferson, and Washington counties.

A scientist was pushed out for studying Iowa’s water. Now he’s running to regulate it.

Hinson listens to parents, staff and youth addiction survivors at Iowa recovery facility

CAMBRIDGE — The Republican candidate for Iowa’s open Senate seat, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, visited Thursday morning with youth, parents and staff at Ember Recovery Center and talked about promoting addiction education and youth addiction screening.  Ember Recovery is a residential center offering nature-based and trauma-informed care to Iowa teens dealing with addiction. Staff and […]

Iowa faces labor and delivery doctor shortage

SHENANDOAH, Iowa (KMTV via CNN Newsource) - There aren’t enough doctors to deliver babies in Iowa, KMTV reports. Iowa’s shortage of labor and delivery doctors is straining rural hospitals. One doctor who feels that impact every day is Dr. Martee MacLeod-Kozal. She is currently the only full-time OB-GYN...

Raymond honored with 2026 Hospital Hero Award by state association

LE MARS — A Floyd Valley Healthcare CNA has been honored as a 2026 Hospital Hero in recognition of his exceptional service, dedication and impact on patients, colleagues and the community. Raymond Walker was presented the award by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) on Oct. 7 in Des Moines...