ATLANTIC – Dr. Seema Harichand will begin providing oncology care at Cass County Health System on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Dr. Harichand is board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine. She recently moved to Des Moines and joined the Medical Oncology and Hematology Associates in December 2017. Dr. Harichand will provide cancer care, including chemotherapy oversight, in the CCHS Specialty Clinic on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Patients can then receive chemotherapy and other infusion treatments in the Specialty Clinic. Appointments with Dr. Harichand may be scheduled by referral from a primary care provider.

Dr. Seema Harichand

Dr.  Harichand graduated summa cum laude from Kent State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry.  She subsequently attended medical school at Ohio State University where she completed her first two years of medical school.  In 2000, she transferred to the University of Miami to complete the clinical years of medical school.  The transfer allowed her to be closer to her husband who was an officer in the Air Force stationed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, and then went on to complete a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Emory University in 2009.  She worked at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, and had a faculty appointment at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute until she left in December 2010 to join a private practice in Florida. She recently relocated to Des Moines, and joined MOHA in December 2017.

Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Dr. Harichand is married, and has three children.  She enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An August trial has been scheduled for a Sioux City dealer accused of tampering with odometers on vehicles he was selling. The Sioux City Journal reports that 37-year-old Francisco Hurtado has pleaded not guilty in Woodbury County District Court to six counts of fraudulent practices. His trial is set to start Aug. 21.

Authorities say Hurtado lives in South Sioux City, Nebraska, and owns Siouxland Auto Sales in Sioux City. Iowa investigators say they found odometers in high-mileage vehicles had been rolled down to increase the vehicles’ value. Court records say Hurtado acknowledged replacing odometer clusters on some vehicles. The records say, however, that Hurtado had not followed Iowa law in resetting the replaced odometers to zero or to the original mileage, nor placing a notice on the dashboards noting that the odometer clusters had been replaced.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Blanchard was arrested at around 7:15-p.m. Wed., following a traffic stop on 310th Street, about a mile northwest of Braddyville. During the traffic stop, 58-year old Patricia Ann Kenagy was arrested for Driving while license suspended. Kenagy was transported to the Page County Jail and held on a little more than $566 bond. She later posted bond and was released pending further court proceedings.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Officials say at least eight people were taken to hospitals after a fire broke out at an apartment building on the west side of Cedar Rapids. Firetrucks were dispatched around 3:45 a.m. Thursday. The Cedar Rapids Fire Department says firefighters found people hanging from windows of the three-story structure, where flames and smoke could be seen. The department says ladders were quickly employed to help the residents to safety as firefighters attacked the blaze, which was extinguished by 4:50 a.m. The fire cause is being investigated.