The Iowa Department of Public Health knew for weeks it was publishing inaccurate information about the spread of COVID-19 in the state, IDPH Medical Director Dr. Caitlin Pedati said in an interview with the Gazette on Wednesday. Pedati told reporter Michaela Ramm she was aware by the end of July that IDPH’s data management system […]
Oakdale Prison
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Vice President Pence says Iowans are ‘blessed’ to have Kim Reynolds as governor, praises meat processing plants during visit to Iowa
“The people of Iowa have been blessed by the leadership of Gov. Kim Reynolds,” Vice President Mike Pence said during his visit to the state on Friday. Pence was speaking to a group of religious leaders at Westkirk Presbyterian Church in Urbandale, one of two scheduled public events on Friday. “One of the things the […]
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Reynolds visits White House, signs order further relaxing restrictions in Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds traveled to the White House for talks with President Trump on Wednesday. During her press conference the day prior, Reynolds described the White House invitation as “kind of a last-minute ask.” “I’ll be going to give him an update on what we’re doing in Iowa, and really talk about how testing and […]
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More COVID-19 cases reported in Iowa’s prison system
Cases of COVID-19 have now been reported at three of Iowa’s nine state prisons. On Thursday, the Iowa Department of Corrections announced an inmate at the Clarinda Correctional Facility in southwest Iowa tested positive for COVID-19. According to a statement from the department, the inmate is a male between the ages of 18 and 40, […]
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As Test Iowa finishes its first week, the state is still trying to determine if its tests are accurate
One day before COVID-19 restrictions will be relaxed in 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state still hasn’t established whether the results from test kits used by Test Iowa are accurate. Reynolds, however, said she was sure the validation process, which is being conducted by the State Hygienic Laboratory at the […]
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With nearly 5,500 COVID-19 cases and 118 deaths, Gov. Reynolds is focused on ‘getting life and business back to normal’
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported on Sunday another 383 Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the state’s total number of confirmed cases to 5,475. Eight residents of Johnson County and 25 residents of Linn County are among the newly reported cases. IDPH also reported six more deaths from the virus, bringing the […]
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More inmates and staff at Oakdale Prison test positive for COVID-19
When Iowa Department of Corrections Director Beth Skinner appeared at Gov. Kim Reynolds press conference on Monday, there had only been three cases of COVID-19 discovered in the state’s prison system — one inmate and two staff members, all three at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) in Coralville, better known as Oakdale Prison. […]
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COVID-19 numbers surge in Iowa, and a prison inmate in Coralville becomes the first in the state to test positive
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 389 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a total that eclipsed the previous one-day record for reported cases of 191 set on Friday. Those new cases bring to the state’s total of confirmed cases to 2,902. Sunday’s newly reported cases include 65 residents of Linn County and 29 […]
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Johnson County experiences state’s first reported COVID-19 case in a prison, second death of a resident
The first case of COVID-19 in the state’s prison system was reported on Friday. According to the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC), a correctional officer at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville — or as the facility is better known, Oakdale Prison — has tested positive for the virus. The officer began experiencing […]
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Notes from the inside: Working toward the future while behind bars
Notes from the Inside features original writing by inmates serving time in Iowa prisons. The authors of this article are contributors to the Iowa Medical…
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Notes from the Inside: Struggles behind bars
Notes from the Inside features original writing by inmates serving time in Iowa Prisons. Here, Oakdale Prison inmates discuss some of the daily challenges they face. One very big challenge in prison is the loneliness of being separated from my family. I feel, as an inmate, not being able to see the people I love […]
