(Radio Iowa) – A lobbyist for an influential evangelical Christian group says the Iowa Supreme Court ruling that upheld a six week abortion ban is a major milestone, but a complete ban on abortion is the ultimate goal. Chuck Hurley spoke this (Friday) afternoon at a summit hosted by The Family Leader.

Life at Conception or personhood bills have been introduced in the Iowa legislature, in other states and the U-S congress. Alabama and Arkansas have personhood amendments in their state constitutions. Democrats say a personhood law or constitutional amendment could outlaw in vitro fertilization, since Alabama’s Supreme Court recently ruled frozen embryos are children and those who destroy embryos could be held liable for wrongful death.

(Radio  Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission set the timeline today (Friday) for new license applications. The process includes a gambling market study and proposals to do that are due August 15th. Applications for those interested in getting a license are due one month later.

The commission will hear presentations on potential new casinos in October. The market study is due at the end of December with a public presentation in January. It’s anticipated the I-R-G-C will make a decision on awarding any new licenses in February.

A group in Linn County is proposing a casino in Cedar Rapids, but not other proposals have been made public.

DES MOINES – As part of a rapid response effort to provide much-needed housing to disaster impacted Iowans, Governor Kim Reynolds has directed the Iowa Department of Corrections, in collaboration with Iowa Prison Industries and Homes for Iowa, to construct five new homes for Iowa communities located in counties approved for FEMA Individual Assistance through a federal major disaster declaration.

The five new homes will offer spacious and modern living spaces for families in need. Each home measures 24×50 feet and includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The homes vary slightly in layout and color, providing a range of options to suit different preferences. In addition, requiring basements for the homes provides a crucial area of shelter during high-wind events, an essential feature for areas vulnerable to tornadoes.

“Homes for Iowa provides a turnkey solution for disaster impacted communities that want to expedite their rebuilding process,” stated Governor Reynolds. “Supporting displaced Iowans in getting back into homes in their communities is our highest priority.”

“We are committed to supporting Iowans as communities recover from these devastating natural disasters,” said DOC Director Dr. Beth Skinner. “These homes represent hope and a fresh start for families in need, and we are grateful for the partnership with Iowa Prison Industries and Homes for Iowa in making this possible.”

Homes for Iowa not only provides affordable, energy-efficient homes to enhance communities across the state but also offers invaluable opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Participants in the program gain hands-on experience in construction, developing skills that are critical for their successful reentry into society. This training helps reduce recidivism by providing meaningful employment opportunities upon release, thereby contributing positively to the community and economy.

This initiative underscores our commitment to community resilience and ensuring safe, affordable housing for all Iowans.

Communities interested in purchasing homes can go to homesforia.com to learn more about the process and submit an order form online.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials say ensuring schools start the fall semester in two flood-stricken northwest Iowa cities is a priority. Iowa Department of Education director McKenzie Snow says public school districts in Spencer and Rock Valley and the Rock Valley Christian School are dealing with extensive damage. “Lost curriculum and instructional items, electronic learning devices, school buses and vans, (Career and Technical Education) program equipment,” she said, “and educational enrichment spaces and materials that range from playgrounds to gyms to libraries and band rooms.”

Snow said some progress has been made, but her agency has been involved in finding portable classrooms in other school districts that can be transferred to Spencer and Rock Valley.) “We are also focused on transportation needed to best serve all students,” Snow said, “especially students who have been displaced or students who are experiencing homelessness.” Governor Kim Reynolds says the first day of school is just around the corner — and the goal is to get kids in a classroom for in-person instruction.

Last year, more than two-thousand students were enrolled in Spencer and the public schools in Rock Valley had just under a thousand students. There were 236 students enrolled in Rock Valley Christian School for the 2023/24 school year.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the American Medical Association is in Iowa today (Friday) to address the state’s top doctors about key healthcare issues, including Iowa’s worsening shortage of rural physicians. Dr. Bruce Scott is an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgery specialist with a private practice in Louisville, Kentucky. Scott says one of his priorities as A-M-A president is to seek out ways to turn around the exodus of experienced doctors from our nation’s rural areas. “In Iowa right now, 97 out of your 99 counties are partially or entirely designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas,” Scott says. “Iowa actually ranks 45th in the nation in terms of availability of physicians and the patient-physician relationship.”

Scott is speaking before members of the Iowa Medical Society in Des Moines, and says he’s seeing similar problems in Kentucky. In an interview with Radio Iowa, Scott says rural Iowa physicians are retiring in droves and they’re not being replaced by new doctors due to the lower wages, increased administrative burdens, and the rising cost of practice in rural areas. “We need to work to get the physicians who are currently practicing to want to continue practice,” Scott says, “and then we need to work on the other end to get more people into medical schools, into residency and convince them to stay in the rural areas.”

It’s a nationwide problem, as Scott says forecasts show the country will be short 83-thousand doctors in the next decade. He says only four or five percent of today’s medical students identify as being from a rural area. “Medical student debt is huge and sometimes students in rural areas don’t have the financial means,” Scott says. “So one of the things that I know the Iowa Medical Society is pushing for is increased funding for the Rural Physician Loan Repayment Program, so we particularly need more residency programs in rural areas.”

Studies find 80-percent of graduating residents stay within 80 miles of the hospital where they did their residency. Besides medical doctors to address our physical ills, Iowa is also lacking in -mental- health professionals. Beyond incentives for those who pursue degree programs, Scott says licensing and regulatory changes could bring more people into service, but progress is slow. “The American Medical Association actually convinced the federal government to pass what was called parody rules over 10 years ago,” Scott says, “and yet, many insurance companies still do not provide adequate coverage for mental health benefits, partially, I believe, because the federal government never put any teeth into the requirements.”

Dr. Bruce Scott (AMA photo)

The Federal Trade Commission issued a report this week about the negative impact pharmacy benefit managers, or P-B-Ms, are having on the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs. Health care professionals in the state blame P-B-Ms for driving many small-town Iowa pharmacies out of business, and Scott agrees. “I think the PBMs pose a real problem. They are basically an invisible entity that sucks a lot of dollars out of the healthcare system, and I think that they should be largely eliminated or at least largely regulated,” Scott says. “Not only has it been an impact upon the small pharmacies, it’s been an impact on the patient’s pocketbook.”

He says these companies routinely keep rebates that should go to the patients, or that result in higher prices for prescriptions. The Iowa Medical Society, established in 1850, is the largest and oldest statewide professional association for Iowa physicians representing more than 5,000 members.