(Radio Iowa) – Michigan-based nonprofit Trinity Health has announced an agreement to acquire all MercyOne health care facilities in Iowa. MercyOne C-E-O Bob Brits says National Catholic Health Systems came together in Iowa in 1998 to pull together their ministries to improve access and availability of health care services in Sioux City, Dubuque Mason City, Clinton, and Central Iowa and Illinois. He says they made multiple changes to adapt and this is another one.

“We reached a point with you know the infrastructure, the need to have one I-T system one billing system, one accounting system,” Brits says. He says they have worked for months to come up with a plan. “That resulted in an agreement with Common Spirit Health which owns the Central Iowa Ministries and Trinity Health — which has ministries in Sioux City, Mason City, Dubuque, and Clinton. And both of them own half of health care facilities in Waterloo and Elkader,” Brits says. “Now Trinity Health will take full ownership of the entire MercyOne system of care in Iowa.” Brits says this was something that has been discussed for years — but was never thought possible.

“And yet here we sit today sharing this update with our 20-thousand colleagues in our communities, our providers, our physicians about how happy we are to be able to present a future plan that is wrapped around our concept of oneness,” according to Brits. Trinity Health’s Mike Slubowski, says things have been operating well in the last 24 years and they are hoping to keep it that way.

“There’s a point in time for every organization to evaluate how best to serve and is to Catholic systems we’ve found that this was the best opportunity for us to provide support for common platforms for future planning for other partnerships,” Slobowski says. MercyOne’s Iowa network includes 16 medical centers and 27 affiliate organizations. The health system serves more than three-point-three million Iowans every year. Brits says they don’t expect this merger to save any money — but it could help improve the efficiency of the operations.

The two non-profits will work together on the integration to Trinity and expect it to be completed this summer.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials are buying more ad time on Facebook and YouTube to market Iowa nationally as a destination for tourists and upgrading the state-maintained “Travel Iowa” website. Governor Kim Reynolds says it means adding more video from top tourist spots like the Loess Hills and the Iowa State Fair.

“And for the first time — it’s a little risky, but we’re out there — we’re touting Iowa’s beauty in all four seasons. We just need to own it. From zip lining through the fall foliage of Dubuque — I’ve done that — to skiing down the Seven Oaks in Boone, we’re doing it all,” Reynolds says. “We’re showing it all and we’re also investing more in local marketing efforts.” That includes a new, one million dollar state-funded initiative with the Iowa Restaurant Association and Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association to market Iowa as a destination for business travel, festivals and sporting events.

Reynolds was the opening speaker at the Iowa Tourism Conference — the first time in two years the conference is being held in-person. “You know, we have a great story to tell and there’s never, ever been a better time to do so,” Reynolds says. A video series is being launched called “The Soul of Iowa” with an initial showing tonight (Tuesday) in Des Moines.

“I don’t want to say too much and spoil the surprise, but you’ll find it showcases the state in an entirely fresh perspective,” Reynolds says. Reynolds says the state has used federal pandemic relief funds to make unprecedented investments in tourism. Last month, the governor awarded Iowa’s commercial airports 100 million dollars in federal funding and this month she announced another 100 million dollars in pandemic relief would be handed out as grants to upgrade existing tourist sites and build new ones. The governor says more than 41 million adults visited Iowa in 2021.

“Iowa saw the second-highest road trip recovery rate in the nation during the first two months of 2022,” Reynolds says. “Road trips in Iowa during that time were 15% higher than they were in 2019.” Reynolds says that’s a stat that shows it makes sense to do more to promote winter travel destinations in the state.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Council Bluffs man, 31-year-old Luke Alric Forman, was sentenced Thursday April 14, 2022, in federal court to 210 months in prison for Receipt of Child Pornography. His term of imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents, Forman pleaded guilty to the offense on December 16, 2021.

The Council Bluffs Police Department initiated an investigation after they received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in which ten videos of child pornography were uploaded using KIK messenger. The CyberTip was linked to Forman’s residence in Council Bluffs.

A search warrant was executed at Forman’s home and a cellular phone was seized. A forensic examination was completed on the cellular phone and revealed Forman had distributed, received, and possessed images and videos of child pornography and engaged in numerous conversations about this activity using KIK messenger.

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This matter was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department, with assistance from the United State Secret Service National Computer Forensics Institute, which provided training and equipment

(Radio Iowa) – The Catholic Diocese of Davenport will launch the public phase of an ambitious capital campaign next weekend, with a 28-million dollar goal. Michael Hoffman, director of development and stewardship, says the silent phase of the campaign began last fall after a consultant’s feasibility study showed a strong majority of diocese members supported a campaign and would be willing to contribute.

“We decided it would be a good time,” Hoffman says. “Obviously we’re coming out of the pandemic, churches are back open, people are feeling a need to get back into the church, and we felt that it was the right time to launch this campaign.” The money will pay for health care for priests and their retirement benefits, to train new priests, and to help parishes in the diocese.

“Whether or not it’s maintenance, new roof, repairing tuckpointing, or mission – that is expanding the role of the church in that particular community,” he says. The Davenport Diocese includes 85,000 Catholics in 74 parishes, and covers 22 counties in southeastern Iowa — from the Quad Cities and Clinton, west to Grinnell, south through Pella and Oskaloosa to the Missouri border, then east to the Mississippi River.