“As of August 24, seventeen confirmed cases of measles have been identified in 2026, with evidence of person-to-person spread,” the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) reported Monday. That’s five more cases than Iowa HHS reported in its last update on the measles outbreak in the state on Aug. 16. The department […]
public health
Posted inStatewide
RFK Jr. visits Dubuque community health clinic facing major Trump budget cuts, as Iowa experiences a measles outbreak
“I love to visit places like Crescent, ’cause they do everything right,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters after touring Crescent Community Health Center in Dubuque on Wednesday. “From the very beginning, the focus was on removing barriers and ensuring access to care — regardless of income, insurance, or background,” […]
Posted inCommunity/News
CDC adds Iowa to list of states affected by ‘record-setting outbreak’ of intestinal disease from contaminated lettuce
Iowa has been added to the list of states with confirmed cases of a parasite-caused gastrointestinal disease linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce, the FDA confirmed Wednesday in an update on the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. The New York Times and the Washington Post had already reported on Tuesday that Iowa was one of six states with […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Facing a blood shortage during ‘summer trauma season,’ Red Cross calls for donations, offers movie ticket discounts
The American Red Cross said on Monday it is facing a blood shortage emergency. Blood donations nationwide dropped off sharply in June, a problem that’s exacerbated by a higher-than-expected need for blood in hospitals during “the summer trauma season” when injuries with treatments that require blood hit their highest levels. “All blood types are needed. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Planned Parenthood to close Iowa City Health Center — one of its last two clinics in the state
Planned Parenthood is closing its Iowa City Health Center at the end of July. After the center shutters on Friday, July 31, the Susan Knapp Health Center in Des Moines will be the only Planned Parenthood facility in the state offering in-person medical services. The Des Moines center will also continue to provide telehealth services […]
Posted inCommunity/News
New study finds higher cancer rates in counties with more CAFOs
People living near concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in California, Texas and Iowa suffer from higher rates of cancer, suggesting that the air and water pollution from the massive farms may be playing a role, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, comes just weeks after a years-long […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘It’s clear we need to change’: Report identifies four environmental factors raising cancer risk in Iowa
“Cancer is not an abstract problem in Iowa,” oncologist Richard Deming told the people gathered in the Harkin Institute’s auditorium. “It’s not rare, it’s not declining and it’s not evenly distributed. Cancer affects everybody, but it doesn’t affect everybody equally.” Eighty percent of the 25 counties with highest cancer rates in Iowa are rural, according […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We know enough’: Researchers call for Iowa ag regulations to protect public health
Researchers and public health advocates said Wednesday that water quality and land use continue to be modifiable elements impacting public health, and in particular cancer, in Iowa. The experts spoke to a crowded conference room in the Olmsted Center at Drake University during the 2025 Iowa Nature Summit that touched on policies, practices and programs […]
Posted inCommunity/News
With City Park Pool closed for the summer, it’ll take some creativity to stay cool in Iowa City
Fashion photos by Karla Monroe, featuring Natalie Lawrence and Lexi Wells at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center pool in Iowa City. Update: As a result of construction delays, the new City Park pool will not open until 2027, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department announced on June 5, 2026. The last time […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City doctors launch COVID-19 safety program for businesses nationwide
A winking yellow smiley face, complete with mask, grins from the front window of Iowa City downtown anchor store Active Endeavors. Inside, customers find a skeleton crew of masked employees who, after completing a daily health-related self-certification, spend the day waiting on customers, meticulously wiping down frequently touched surfaces, steaming clothing from the dressing rooms […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Johnson County and 35 other Iowa counties are suing opioid manufacturers
Johnson County, along with 35 other Iowa counties, is suing five major manufacturers of prescription opioids for what the counties claim are deceptive marketing and sales practices that fueled the current opioid crisis.. “The crisis was precipitated by Defendants who, through nefarious and deceptive means and using one of the biggest pharmaceutical marketing campaigns in history, carefully engineered and continue to support a dramatic shift in the culture of prescribing opioids by falsely portraying both the risks of addiction and abuse and the safety and benefits of long-term use,” according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Des Moines on Jan. 5.
Posted inCommunity/News
First survey of the health of Iowa’s LGBTQ community has begun
A first of its kind health survey of Iowa’s LGBTQ community is now underway. The Iowa Cancer Consortium, in partnership with One Iowa, the University of Iowa College of Public Health and Des Moines University, is sponsoring the survey. “Basically we saw the need for more data,” Levi Lappin of the Iowa Cancer Consortium explained. “There’s not much health data for the LGBTQ community at the state-level.” But that’s not an issue unique to Iowa, he said.
