(Walnut, Iowa) – The City Council in Walnut will hold a special meeting beginning at 5-p.m. Wed., Oct. 20th, at the Walnut Community Center. On their short agenda, is discussion with regard to Employee Health Insurance, possible approval of the a roof replacement for City Hall, and a Fire Hydrant Replacement Project.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa remains in the middle of the pack in a new report called The State of Mental Health in America, which ranks the states based on 15 mental health access and prevalence measures. Schroeder Stribling, president and C-E-O of Mental Health America, says Iowa places 23rd on the latest rankings.”Iowa has been staying generally the same,” Stribling says. “I think you’re in a strong position with that trend and of course, as is true for all states, you can continue to develop additional resources for people, especially as we get prepared for the current mental health crisis.”

The non-profit organization offers a free, anonymous, online mental health screening program which has seen exceptionally heavy use in the months since the pandemic struck our country. “We have had a more than 600-percent increase in the number of individuals using that screening program,” Stribling says. “Primarily, these are youth, ages 11 to 17, and they are looking to screen themselves chiefly for depression, anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm or suicide.” The report finds COVID-19 has brought greater morbidity and mortality, as well as disastrous effects on the nation’s mental health.

“One of the things that is true for some states and true for Iowa is that there’s a real difference between urban and rural areas,” she says, “and how they can address mental health concerns and what policies and programs they need in place to do so.” As an example, Stribling points to a recent University of Iowa study that found the rate of farmer suicides is three-and-a-half times higher than the general population. Despite all of the negatives, she says there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. Much like 9-1-1, a new three-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is being created.

“There’s a new mental health crisis response system that is rolling out this year,” Stribling says. “All advocates, lawmakers, policymakers should be involved. It’s called 988. It’s been federally approved and it’s now up to the states to enact this legislation. That’s another thing that’s relevant for Iowa which has not yet enacted legislation on 988.” While Iowa ranked 23rd on the report this year, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were the top three states, while Arizona, Idaho and Nevada ranked last.

(Radio Iowa) – Researchers warn this flu season could be far worse than normal. Kelly Garcia, interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the flu vaccine is widely available and can be taken at the same time as a Covid booster shot. “This year, we’re seeing some disease trends with other respiratory viruses which would indicate we’re headed into a high volume flu year,” Garcia says, “which means that we need everyone to get their vaccine.” In remarks during a telephone town hall meeting with Iowa A-A-R-P members, Garcia urged Iowans to stay home if they have flu symptoms.

Kelly Garcia (IDPH photo)

“We need to make sure that we’re not putting additional pressure on our health care delivery system,” Garcia says, “and in those high flu years, we do see a fair number of hospitalizations because of that particular disease, so we are going to want to make sure we are doing everything to prevent that this year.”

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s website indicates about 39 percent of Iowa residents got a flu shot last year. The rate varies from county to county. Half of the residents in Winneshiek and Carroll Counties got the flu vaccine last year, while the lowest percentage of all 99 counties was in Jefferson County where just under 24 percent of residents got the flu shot.

(Villisca, Iowa) – An accident this (Tuesday) morning, in Villisca, caused about $15,000 damage to the Villisca Post Office. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, at around 8:14-a.m., a 2016 International box truck owned by Ryder Truck Rental, Inc., was entering the Post Office parking lot, when the box portion of the truck the struck a canopy attached to the west side of the building at 500 S. 3rd Avenue.

The truck, driven by 60-year-old Frederick L. Adams, of Greensboro, NC, sustained about $4,000 damage to the cargo box. No injuries were reported, and no citations were issued.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon School Board received some good news Monday night. Superintendent Eric Trager tells KJAN News, the Board was informed enrollment in the District is up.

Mr. Trager updated the Audubon School Board on the Building Project. He said at 1-p.m. Wednesday, they’ll open the bids received for the project.