(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds and two dozen other Republican governors are urging President Biden to end the national public health emergency for COVID in April.

Ending the national public health emergency will mean emergency Medicaid insurance coverage for millions of Americans will end. In Iowa, Medicaid enrollment is 48% higher than before the pandemic. Reynolds and the other governors say some individuals are no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage under traditional rules, but the national public health emergency is keeping them in the program and that’s negatively impacting states’ budgets.

Reynolds ended her own statewide public health emergency in February and she says it’s time for the federal government to do the same.

President Trump declared COVID a national emergency in March of 2020. President Biden has extended the order through next month and is expected to extend it again through April. Reynolds and the 24 other GOP governors are asking Biden to let the pandemic declaration expire at that time.

(Radio Iowa) – A company that makes a nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses is pushing to expand access to the medication in Iowa. Larry Lanier is a lobbyist for Emergent Biosolutions, which manufacturers the opioid reversal drug naloxone and sold under the brand name NARCAN. “Our country’s in the midst of an epidemic right now that’s invading our communities, our neighborhoods, our families,” he says. “It’s taking the lives of our citizens and, even worse, it’s killing our children.”

Iowa law lets pharmacists dispense naloxone without a prescription, but the pharmacy keeps a record of who gets it, which could discourage people from picking up a kit. Other states let non-profits, businesses and other organizations register to distribute naloxone kits anonymously. Lanier is asking Governor Reynolds and Iowa lawmakers to adopt that policy.

“There are community organizations that are very good at that. It’s called secondary distribution,” Lanier says. “As we move into 2023, we look forward to an opportunity to converse and collaborating with you, Governor Reynolds, and with the legislature to talk about ways that we can increase community distribution in Iowa.”

Lanier made his comments during an online forum hosted by Governor Reynolds. In 2021, 258 Iowans died of an opioid overdose — a 21 percent increase from the year before.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests, and an injury accident. Those taken into custody include:

• On Sunday, Dec. 18: 35-year-old Kyle Lee Davis, of Glenwood, for OWI/2nd offense ($2,000 bond).
• On Saturday, 40-year-old Kandall Omax Brown, of Omaha, for Domestic Abuse Assault (No Bond), and
• on Dec. 14th, 52-year-old Bryan Allen Dennis, of Omaha, on a warrant for Failure to Appear ($2,000 bond).

The sheriff’s office said also, 43-year-old Brian Doyle, of Imogene, was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by an unknown individual, after the 2007 Jeep Doyle was driving hit a patch of ice as he was westbound in the 36000 block of Noyes Avenue,  on Dec. 13th. The Jeep rolled over into a waterway culvert. The accident happened at around 9:30-a.m.

Authorities say he was driving too fast for the weather conditions and lost control of the vehicle. He was cited for Failure to Maintain control.

The were two other accidents reported, one of which was on the 13th, the other on the 15th. No injuries were reported in either incident.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County say there were two accidents late last week (In addition to the previously reported accident involving 16-year-old Colby Waltz, of Bagley). Authorities say at around 4:30-p.m. Friday, a two vehicle accident occurred in front of 610 McPherson Street, in Casey. An investigation revealed a 2012 Dodge RAM pickup driven by 45-year-old Amber M. Shearer, of Casey, was backing out of a parking spot. She failed to notice a legally parked 2014 Chevy Impala and backed into the car, causing $5,000 damage to the Impala. No injuries were reported. Shearer was cited for Failure to provide proof of financial liability (accident insurance), and for Unsafe backing on a Highway.

And, at around 4:42-p.m. Thursday, a 2008 Ford F250 super Duty pickup driven by 20-year-old Trenten Lee Custer, of Jefferson, was traveling east on Highway 141 in Guthrie County, when he tapped the brakes as he was approaching the intersection with Oak Avenue. The pickup went out of control and slid into the north ditch, near Oak Avenue. The vehicle struck the ditch, hit a culvert and flipped onto the driver’s side, causing $15,000 damage. There were no injuries reported, and no citations issued, as the road was covered by snow and blowing snow.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s tourism industry is urging the governor and state legislature to maintain state spending on programs that promote Iowa as a place to visit or live. Chelsea Lerud of Burlington is executive director of Iowa Travel Industry Partners or I-TIP. “We cannot rest on our past successes and I-TIP pledges to be a partner to the state,” she says, “showcasing all the wonderful things we are doing.”

Tourism-related spending by the state is at historic levels this year, according to Lerud. “Each of these programs have contributed to the growth of our state and it’s helped to attract and retain Iowans,” she says.

Lerud’s group is urging lawmakers to budget another nine MILLION dollars for state parks as well as one-and-a-half MILLION dollars for the state tourism office. Those are the spending levels in the current year. Lerud says there’s another one-and-a-half MILLION for tourism marketing and strategic planning by the Iowa Economic Development Authority in this year’s budget that her group would like to see continued next year, as well as another 10 MILLION dollars worth of grants for community attractions. According to a state report, there were about 65-thousand jobs in Iowa’s tourism industry last year and travelers spent more than six BILLION dollars while visiting Iowa in 2021.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s the season for stuffy noses, coughs and sneezes, but common colds may not seem so common with the flu, COVID-19 and R-S-V still rampant, and Iowans are reminded to take care with the meds they swallow. Dr. Wendy Mobley-Buckstein, a pharmacy professor at Drake University, says if you’re taking over-the-counter cold or flu drugs, take heed if you’re also popping acetaminophen. “If you’re taking both of those things, then you’re increasing your risk of liver damage which is the penultimate of things that can happen,” Mobley-Bukstein says. “The biggest thing that we want to avoid is making sure the people are not exceeding that 4,000 milligram daily dose of acetaminophen.”

Mobley-Bukstein is a spokeswoman for the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition. More than 600 pain relievers and multi-symptom cold and flu medicines contain acetaminophen. She says it’s safe and effective when used as directed, but there’s a limit to how much you can take in one day, so reading labels is important. “It’s a very safe drug,” she says. “The biggest thing is making sure with the flu, with COVID still running around, people are really reaching for things, just making sure when you’re reaching for acetaminophen that they’re also looking to make sure that they’re not overdoing it.”

Some studies show children get seven to ten colds per year, and meds that bring relief for a parent may not be appropriate for a third grader. Mobley-Bukstein says it’s a safe move to take only one medicine at a time that contains acetaminophen.  “When you buy an over-the-counter product, on the back of the package now it’s going to say ‘active ingredients’ and then looking to see what is the active ingredient,” Mobley-Bukstein says. “It’s going to tell you how many milligrams are contained in there. Also, knowing what dose you should take, infants versus kiddos versus adults.”

Research shows the odds of taking more than the FDA-recommended maximum dose of acetaminophen in one day increases 24-percent during cold and flu season. The coalition’s website is KnowYourDose.org, a clearinghouse of information designed to educate consumers about the safe use of acetaminophen.