An administrator from one of the two institutions in Iowa that educates medical doctors says there’s an “extreme shortage” of physicians in the state and the problem could worsen because many Iowa doctors may retire soon. Sue Huppert is vice president for institutional advancement at Des Moines University. “At least 44 percent of our Iowa practicing physicians are over 50,” Huppert says. “And we know from surveys that as physicians age, they would prefer to ease into retirement.”

Access to a doctor is an issue in many rural parts of the state and there are shortages of doctors in certain specialties, like obstetrics and emergency trauma care. Iowa currently ranks 44th among the states in the ability of residents to easily get care from a direct care physician. “We have an extreme shortage of physicians today,” Huppert says. “If you look at our 99 counties, 73 of them currently need more family physicians.” Huppert made her comments during a budget hearing in the governor’s office.

She’s urging Governor Branstad and legislators to provide four-million dollars in state support next year to finance forgiveable loans to medical students at Des Moines University and the University of Iowa. About 150 students are accepted into the University of Iowa Medical School each year. Des Moines University accepts about 500 students per year. A handful at each school would be eligible for the state-backed forgiveable loan program Huppert hopes will expand next year.

According to the Iowa Board of Medicine, over 68-hundred doctors worked in Iowa last year. That’s two percent more than the year before and the number of doctors working in Iowa has been growing faster than the state’s overall population. Between 2006 and 2013 there was a 12 percent increase in the number of physicians practicing medicine in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors received good news during their meeting Wednesday morning in Atlantic, with regard to Workers Compensation and Liability Insurance through the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool, or ICAP. The County’s Insurance representative Kipp Harris said a report from the IMWCA (Iowa Municipalities Workers’ Compensation Association) shows claims filed by County workers has dropped significantly over the past five-years, allowing the County to save $90,000 on the cost of premiums.

He says that equates with “Good department heads that hire the right people, and people that are conscious of not having injuries and doing the right things while they’re out there working.” Harris said the Board should congratulate the Department Heads and employees, because it is “A direct reflection on them.” The cost is further affected by claims that have dropped-off over the years.

The net premium to the County for Property/Casualty (Liability) Insurance, according to Harris, was about $160,000. That’s down more than $20,000 because of a voucher that was applied.

Three people were arrested over the past week in Mills County. Sheriff’s officials say on Sunday, 35-year old Philip Michael Eshelman, of Red Oak was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, following a traffic stop at around 8-p.m. His bond was set at $300.

On Christmas Day, 21-year old Rocky Alan James Runyon, of Hastings, was arrested at a location on Mahaffey Road. Runyon was taken into custody at around 6:10-p.m. on a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. His bond was set at $300.

And at around 11-p.m. on Dec. 23rd, 18-year old Colton Isaiah Story, of Henderson, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office on charges of OWI/1st Offense, and Failure to Maintain Control. His bond was set at $1,000.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Mills County also investigated seven separate accidents over the past week, two of which resulted in persons being injured. Late Monday evening, an accident on Eastman Road took place when a car went out of control on the snow and ice and entered a ditch before hitting a tree. Daniel Robbins, of Council Bluffs, was driving the 2012 Nissan. He was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, by Glenwood Rescue.

And, the morning of Dec. 27th, Jennifer Wake, of Glenwood, was driving a 2005 Pontiace, when the car went out of control on an icy Ingrum Avenue. The vehicle skidded across the center line of the road and left the roadway before rolling over at least once and coming to rest on its wheels on the southbound lane of travel, just south of 250th Street. Wake was also transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital by Glenwood Rescue.

Five residents in a four unit apartment complex in Adair were safely evacuated from the structure during a fire that took place just before 8-a.m. today (Wednesday) Adair-Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf told KJAN News the fire happened at 802 3rd Street. The Red Cross was assisting the occupants with housing and clothing arrangements.

Firefighters from Adair and Casey responded to the scene. Kempf said two units in the building sustained “fairly significant damage”, while the two other units sustained minor damage. Adair Fire Chief Jordan Smith has said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but a preliminary assessment indicates it may have begun in a closet area where a boiler was located.

No injuries were reported.

Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren presented Deputy Corey Larsen with an Outstanding Achievement award this (Wednesday) morning during a meeting of the County Board of Supervisors. The award was “For his excellent response while performing his duties on Nov. 26th, 2014.”

Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Corey Larsen (Left) is presented with a plaque by Sheriff Darby McLaren.

McLaren said “While he was responding to a personal injury accident east of Marne, Larsen came across a van that had slid into the ditch. A 16-year old girl had severe injuries to her arm (and was bleeding profusely).” McLaren said the girl was likely in danger of losing her arm. Larsen applied a tourniquet and “most likely saved her arm.”

Lily Elliott w/Deputy Corey Larsen

The girl he helped save, Lily Elliott, of Marne, was in the Board Room when Larsen was presented with the award.

A traffic stop on Washington Street in Exira Tuesday night, resulted in the arrest of a local man on drug charges. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports 24-year old Joel Roger Nelson, of Exira, was charged with Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Nelson was being held in the Audubon County Jail Wednesday morning.

A report released Tuesday shows 50 law enforcement officers were killed by guns this year across the country. Sergeant Scott Bright, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, says none of those incidents occurred in Iowa.

Iowa Peace Officer Memorial, in Des Moines.

“We did not lose any law enforcement officers throughout the state due to gunfire,” Bright said. The last time an Iowa law officer was killed by gunfire was on September 13, 2013. Jamie Buenting was an eight-year veteran of the Rockwell City police department. This past September, a jury found 33-year-old Corey Trott guilty in Buenting’s shooting death.

“I believe the one before that was Deputy Eric Stein in 2011,” Bright said. “We don’t usually have them every year…we were very fortunate this year we did not have any.” Keokuk County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Stein was killed on April 4, 2011. His alleged killer, 53-year-old Jeff Krier, was later shot and killed by other law officers during a standoff. Stein’s death marked the first time in 25 years an Iowa law enforcement officer was shot and killed while on duty. At least two police officers in the state were injured by gunfire this year.

City Police Officer Jill Ohm was shot in the chin as she was responding to a disturbance call on October 3. The man who allegedly shot Ohm, 27-year-old Noah Ironshell, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. On April 1, Maquoketa Police Sergeant Brendan Zeimet was hit in the arm in an exchange of gunfire with a motorist who was said to have a history of mental health issues. That individual, 30-year-old Aaron Scott, was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Over the state’s history, at least 189 Iowa law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty — with 105 from gunfire, according to the “Officer Down Memorial Page” website — http://www.odmp.org/.