During its first year, the GuideLink Center, a facility that provides care for mental health and substance use disorders, has helped over 1,000 people, said Executive Director Abbey Ferenzi. The center offers 24/7 services, including rapid assessment, triage and crisis stabilization, medically monitored withdrawal and a sobering unit. “GuideLink Center was designed to fill the […]
UnityPoint Health
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: Cedar Rapids hospitals suspend elective surgeries; Gov. Reynolds wants National Guard vaccination requirement canceled
The surge in COVID-19 is continuing, according to the latest weekly update from the Iowa Department of Public Health. IDPH reported on Wednesday another 10,476 Iowans had tested positive for the virus during the most recent seven-day period. At the beginning of this reporting period, IDPH announced the State Hygienic Laboratory had detected the first […]
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Linn County doctors warn of upcoming COVID surge as hospitalizations rise
Linn County health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated and to practice mitigation measures to ease the burden on the local healthcare system, which has been seeing an increase in hospitalizations, as the Delta variant fuels an increase in COVID-19 cases. “COVID cases have increased in the preceding two weeks at a pace that […]
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UnityPoint Health holding COVID-19 vaccine clinics this week in Cedar Rapids, as vaccination demand in Iowa continues to drop
UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids is holding a walk-in vaccine clinic this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The clinic will be held at the MedLabs building, 717 A Ave NE, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on those three days. Individuals coming to the clinic are asked to enter from the lower level entrance. […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County will begin offering COVID-19 vaccine to residents 65 and older starting Tuesday
Linn County residents 65 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Tuesday, but vaccine supply remains limited, Linn County Public Health officials announced Monday. MercyCare clinics, UnityPoint Health Clinics and various independent healthcare providers will begin contacting patients on Monday to provide an opportunity to schedule a vaccination appointment. Residents […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County has only received an ‘extremely limited’ supply of COVID-19 vaccine, health officials say
Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in Iowa and Linn County “very slowly,” and supply of the vaccine is “extremely limited,” according to Linn County Public Health. County public health and medical officials from the local hospitals urged residents during a LCPH news conference to remain patient as it might take the county longer […]
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Healthcare workers in Linn County begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
Two Linn County hospitals received their first allotment of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, Linn County Public Health (LCPH) announced in a news release. Mercy Medical Center and UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital each received 975 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to distribute to frontline healthcare workers as part of the first phase of vaccine distribution. […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Q&A: Two Iowa nurses share challenges, experiences of working during COVID-19 pandemic
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa hospitals have been overwhelmed, especially in recent months as hospitalizations due to the virus continued to reach record-breaking numbers. The dire situation facing Iowa’s hospitals and healthcare workers has been featured prominently in recent stories in The Atlantic and ProPublica. “In a lot of ways, Iowa is serving as the […]
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As COVID cases surge, Gov. Reynolds introduces minor new restrictions and pledges to keep Iowa ‘open for business’
On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 4,441 people statewide tested positive for COVID-19 during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. The department has reported more than 4,000 new cases on five of the last six days. The new cases on Tuesday included 219 residents of Johnson County and 424 residents of […]
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UI hospital executive warns Iowa is entering ‘the danger zone’ as the state sets another record for COVID-19 hospitalizations
For the ninth day in row, Iowa set a new record high for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 730 hospital patients with confirmed cases of the virus, 170 of whom were being treated in intensive care units. Speaking to reporters on Monday, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County health officials warn COVID-19 hospitalizations will reach an ‘unsustainable level’ if the surge continues
More than 700 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Linn County this week. This is the highest number of cases the county has seen reported in a single week since the pandemic was first confirmed in the county on March 21. Linn County has 6,142 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 10 a.m. on […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Mercy Cedar Rapids opens second respiratory clinic
Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids has opened a second clinic dedicated to caring for patients experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, including COVID-19, the hospital announced on Monday. Mercy opened its first clinic in late March. Shortly after it was opened, the clinic moved in order to increase its patient capacity. It is currently located […]
