Iowans are used to reports on cancer rates containing bad news for the state. Annual reports from the Iowa Cancer Registry and the National Cancer Institute have documented Iowa’s remarkably high rate of new cancers. Only tobacco-heavy Kentucky has a higher rate of new cases. Now, a report from the American Lung Association (ALA) published […]
Iowa Health
Posted inCommunity/News
At a cult compound in rural Iowa, death prayers and doomsday prep gave way to ‘natural’ health grifts and costly tests of faith
On Dec. 12, 1972, cult leader John Robert Stevens made a big announcement: he was a time traveler. “I had a real meeting with the Lord,” Stevens told his followers in the Living Word Fellowship (LWF), also called the Walk. “During this meeting, I was projected seven years ahead of the present time. It was […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Iowa runners on running
Since the pandemic began, more people are running than ever. It is one of the most popular, and for many, accessible forms of exercise there is. Little Village asked a range of runners from Des Moines, the CRANDIC and the Quad Cities areas to comment on their experiences: advice for beginners, motivations to move, injury […]
Posted inCommunity/News
New report puts Iowa last for mental health facilities
One year after the closing of two state hospitals, in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant, a new report shows that Iowa now trails the rest of the country in mental health facilities. A June 2016 report from the Treatment Advocacy Center, “Trends and Consequences of Eliminating State Psychiatric Beds,” ranks Iowa consistently last or in the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s largest health insurer to participate in ACA’s health insurance exchange program
After opting out for the first two years of Iowa’s health insurance exchange program, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced this week that it will begin offering health insurance plans through the program starting in the fall of 2016, with coverage set to begin on Jan. 1, 2017. Though Iowa’s rate of uninsured residents […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Widespread’ Influenza outbreak hits Iowa
Influenza has reached every geographic region of the state of Iowa according to a statement released Monday by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). Officials have now categorized the outbreak as “widespread” — the highest level of activity possible as specified by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). In the last week, Iowa has […]
