(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Department of Human Services (DHS) and University of Iowa Health Care are partnering to improve support of Iowans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). The newly signed agreement includes the creation of a faculty position within the university who will serve as the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Intellectual Disabilities at the Glenwood Resource Center (GRC). GRC’s new CMO will serve as the chief physician for the center’s residents and will be a member of a multidisciplinary team of therapists, psychologists, and Qualified Intellectual Disability Professionals (QIDPs). They will also be responsible for expanding the capacity of the community system of care to better serve Iowans with IDDs.

DHS Director Kelly Garcia said Thursday, “While we have started the transition to a community-based model of care, there are a number of elderly residents at GRC who have lived there for decades and have complex health conditions that could make transferring to a community placement difficult. To give these residents access to the high-quality care they deserve, we are seeking a CMO who is highly qualified and passionate about serving individuals with IDDs. Our agreement with UI Health Care allows us to tap into its expertise at recruiting exceptional physician leaders and maintaining high standards of quality control.”

Kevin Glenn, MD, clinical associate professor of internal medicine at UI Carver College of Medicine, is the chair of the search committee for GRC’s new CMO.  Glenn says “As the state’s academic medical center, UI Health Care is committed to providing high-quality care for all Iowans, including the state’s most vulnerable populations. We are thankful for the opportunity to help DHS fill this important position. This collaborative agreement will provide the new CMO with access to a breadth of resources to support their success.”

Health officials say this significant new collaboration and partnership will provide the new GRC CMO with access to medical experts in every specialty, infection and quality control support, ethics consultations, and more. It may also help Iowa develop better pipelines for future recruitment of quality medical and other health care providers, particularly in the public sector. Cory Turner, MHDS Division Administrator for Facilities, says “Our continued and evolving partnership with the university has been vital to the stabilization of numerous services within DHS’ Mental Health and Disability Services division. This is yet another example of our collaboration built on a foundation of trust and rooted in clinical expertise that ensures Iowans, wherever they reside, receive the best care possible.”

University of Iowa Health Care is actively recruiting for the Glenwood Medical Director position. A detailed job description and position duties is available here. Marsha Edgington, the GRC superintendent, will work directly with UI Health Care to establish day-to-day connection with DHS once the candidate is on board.

(Radio Iowa) – Many attorneys say they are getting contacted by people seeking to take legal action in cases involving mask mandates, vaccines, and other pandemic-related issues. Attorney Richard Moeller of Sioux City says he has received many calls. “In fact, I probably get on average three, four calls a day from people in different situations — whether they are working for a government employer, otherwise, a private employer is mandating a vaccination, or in the alternative, they can use a mask or be tested,” Moeller says.

Moeller gets calls because he represents clients in vaccine injury cases in the U-S Court of Federal Claims.  “It is designed for those rare situations where someone receives a certain vaccination — it has to be a covered vaccination — meaning it’s one of the vaccines the program covers so to speak. The flu vaccine is a very common one, sometimes the D-TAPs, the childhood M-M-R and those kinds of things,” he says. Moeller says none of the COVID vaccines are covered. “Although that may change….probably some action by Congress might take place that would include that. But as of right now, the COVID vaccine is not covered,” Moeller says.

Moeller says he has to explain this to people who call asking about COVID lawsuits. “The inquiries that I have received are ‘what can I do if my employer has or is going to implement some kind of mandate having to do with the vaccine or the alternative for testing.’ I just don’t do those kinds of cases. There are a few lawyers I think in different locations who will help a client….to at least look into whether there is an alternative to a mandate for a vaccine,” according to Moeller.

Moeller says the current law appears to make it tough to sue vaccine manufacturers. “My understanding of the federal law that kind of paved the way for those vaccines is that they will not allow a lawsuit,” Moeller says, “in other words, the pharmaceutical companies and distributors of the vaccines are immune from lawsuits.”

A list of attorneys in all 50 states who have expressed a willingness to accept vaccine injury cases is on the U-S Courts website.

(Radio Iowa) – Moody’s, a national company that issues credit ratings on bonds, has given bonds from the State of Iowa its highest rating. It’s sort of like credit ratings for individuals, as investors check bond ratings to determine whether state-issued bonds are a safe bet. Moody’s Aaa (referred to as triple A) rating means the bonds are considered the highest quality and the lowest credit risk.

State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald says retention of the top rating from Moody’s is “a testament to the State of Iowa’s financial wellness.” According to Fitzgerald, Moody’s cited the state’s cash reserves and its low debt and pension liabilities in issuing the Aaa rating.

In 2020, Iowa was one of only a dozen states that had Triple A bond ratings from Moody’s, as well as two other national credit rating agencies.

(Radio Iowa) – As the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations continues rising in Iowa, the C-E-O of the state’s largest hospital says he’s dealing with staffing shortages and burnout. Suresh Gunasekaran, who heads the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, says the staff is straining with the jump in both COVID and non-COVID patients. He says it’s a statewide trend. “There are bed challenges that are being caused by not having enough staffing,” Gunasekaran says, “and we see that by increased transfer requests from various different parts of the state when they’re unable to staff the same number of beds that they were last year.”

Suresh Gunasekaran (UIHC photo)

Gunasekaran says the pandemic has taken a significant toll on health care workers at the Iowa City facility and elsewhere, leading to a higher-than-average number leaving the workforce in the past year. “We are paying a pretty heavy price in terms of the mental health of our workforce in terms of the physical workload that they see day in and day out.”

State health officials reported Thursday that 638 Iowans were hospitalized with the virus in the past week. That’s up ten-percent from last week and is the highest number this year.

(Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Thursday, authorized Board Chair Steve Shelley to sign three right-of-way contracts with the City of Greenfield for a box culvert project on Lakeview Road. County Engineer Nick Kauffman…

Kauffman said also, a joint drainage project with Cass County is nearly complete.

In other business, shared Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber presented the Adair County Board of Supervisors with the same information he gave the Cass County Board, Tuesday, with regard to an Intergovernmental 28-E (cost sharing) Agreement with the Iowa DNR, as it pertains to well fees and a language update to the agreement.

The Board and County Attorney will review the agreement and act on the matter during their meeting next week. Jotham spoke also with regard to Radon tests, and how they might be offered through real estate agents.

Supervisor John Twombly said his test about nine-months ago were very high, and he recently had mitigation conducted to make his home safe. Six weeks later, the reading is within tolerance. The Adair County Supervisors Thursday, acknowledged receipt of a notice from the City of Stuart, with regard to an Urban Renewal Plan Amendment, for which a Public Hearing will be held in Stuart at City Hall, on Friday, Sept. 24th, at 10-a.m.

They also acknowledged a Manure Management Plan update from Rose Acre Farms.