Don’t let asthma take your breath away. Learn asthma symptoms, risk factors and asthma triggers at a free seminar and screening event on Sat., March 31, 9 a.m. to noon at Lindale Mall, Center Court Lower Level. Seminar sessions will be held at  9 and 9:30 a.m. Dr Lyla Schweiger, Allergy & Asthma Clinic,...
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Don’t bother looking for a sugary snack at Midwest Metal Products. “You won’t find a candy bar in our building,” says Mikki Tritle, a customer service representative at the metal fabrication company, 800 66th Ave. SW. “Our vending machines don’t even have candy.” Midwest Metal co-owner Rita Jelinek says she has...
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(Kansas City, Kan., March 9, 2012) – EPA Region 7 is ordering Cedar Valley Electroplating L.L.C., a metal electroplating business, to take a series of immediate actions to address multiple issues with leaking tanks and containers of hazardous waste at its facility in Cedar Falls, Iowa.   Under a unilateral administrative order issued by...
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According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s® 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report released today, caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the United States an estimated $200 billion in 2012, including $140 billion paid by Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare payments for an older person with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are nearly...
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  IOWA CITY  – Iowa has been selected as an Action Coalition by the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, coordinated through the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), to ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality, patient-centered...
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CEDAR RAPIDS — At first glance, Dr. Lee Birchansky’s in-office cataract surgery appears to be an innovative model for lowering health care costs, but state health officials don’t see eye-to-eye with the Cedar Rapids ophthalmologist. The Iowa Department of Public Health denied a rehearing on Birchansky’s notice to perform the common procedure in his...
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Unlike plumbers, barbers and massage therapists, Iowa has no professional oversight board for the state’s 73,000 direct care workers, many of whom work on their own to provide in-home care. Some groups are calling for a change to professionalize Iowa’s largest workforce through legislative action, but others say the bill would duplicate existing regulations....
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The following is from the AARP: Des Moines, February 29, 2012—AARP called on the Iowa Legislature to professionalize Iowa’s largest workforce – Direct Care Workers, asking the question, “Is Iowa Prepared to Care?” for our rapidly aging population during a news conference this morning at the Iowa Statehouse.   AARP Iowa State Director Kent...
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The following is from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:   Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA Important safety changes to the labeling for some widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins are being announced today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These products, when used with diet and exercise, help to lower a person’s “bad”...
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The following is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: The Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that it will partner with Text4Baby, a free national health texting service, to promote enrollment in both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and provide pregnant women and new mothers...
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