(Radio Iowa) – The city of Cedar Rapids is holding a vigil tonight after the shooting at the nightclub this past weekend that left two people dead and ten injured. Cedar Rapids Mayor, Tiffany O’Donnell told K-C-R-G- T-V local government officials felt compelled to organize a vigil as it became very clear that people needed to talk about this. “We have a community that is not used to this tragedy,” she says. O’Donnell says this is an opportunity for them to provide a space to heal.

“One of them called me in tears and just said, you know, I’m a really active person in this community, I like to go out and do stuff. I was almost at the club Saturday night. Is this, how it’s gonna be? And it broke my heart to hear him say that because this is an engaged, positive, lifelong member of our community who’s questioning his safety,” O’Donnell says.

Kara Grafft works at Harambee House in the Wellington Heights community. She describes it as a one-stop-shop for people in the area who have experienced trauma. Grafft tells K-C-R-G T-V that this is something that will stay with the 150 people who were in the club. “Other stories will come along so that will take our attention, but for the people that were there and experienced this….when that gets quiet it doesn’t get quiet for them you know that might be when things really settle in for them or they really start to struggle with the after effects of it,” according to Grafft.

Grafft has this advice for those dealing with the aftermath of the shooting. “Surround yourself with a positive network as much as you can kind of stick to a routine get good sleep take care of yourself,” she says. Mayor O’Donnell says supplying the positive network is part of their job. “As a city, we have a role to play in helping to heal and move our city forward, whatever that looks like,” O’Donnell says.

The Cedar Rapids “Vigil for Community Healing” is tonight (Wednesday) at 7:00 inside the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Mays Island.

(Des Moines, IA) Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are increasingly impacting Iowans. Preliminary data from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) for 2021 show significant increases in some STDs.

Most notably, syphilis has reached its highest numbers in the state in a generation. There were 554 diagnoses of infectious syphilis reported to IDPH in 2021. This is a 55% increase from the preceding year. Shifts are also occurring among our populations in Iowa who are most affected. Although the majority of diagnoses continues to be among men, the number of diagnoses among women nearly tripled in a single year. The increased number of women affected has led to historic increases in congenital syphilis (which occurs when the infection is passed from a pregnant person to the fetus or newborn). In 2021, there were 11 cases of congenital syphilis in Iowa – more than the last 20 years combined. Additionally, rates of syphilis among our Black and Indigenous populations, and populations of color overall, are increasingly disproportionate. 

Get Yourself Tested is a campaign encouraging young people to get tested and treated for STDs and HIV to protect their health and that of their partners. STDs affect people of all ages, yet these diseases take a particularly heavy toll on young people.

Disease Intervention Specialists at IDPH and Polk, Linn, Scott, and Black Hawk county health departments work with people affected by HIV and other STDs, like syphilis, every day. Through  these services, Iowans receive medical care and referrals to other supportive services. Iowans looking for STD testing can access two testing locator options here or here.

IDPH continues to work with its partner organizations, the medical community, and the public to raise awareness, make risk reduction easier (including increased testing and early diagnosis and treatment), and reduce stigma.