The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Sheriff Darby McLaren, and Chief Deputy Jon Westering, paid tribute today (Tuesday), to long-time Cass County physician, Dr. Keith Swanson, and his wife Berniece, for Swanson’s many years of service.

Berniece Swanson (left), and Dr. Keith Swanson; (in the back: Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren & Chief Deputy Jon Westering) – Ric Hanson photo

Board Chair Steve Baier read a Resolution recognizing Swanson’s care for so many people, and to inmates at the Cass County Jail. The Resolution said Dr. Swanson retired from professional practice, has provided valuable and innovative care for residents of Cass County and the surrounding area…50-years [in Cass Co.], 60-years total. For the past 15-years, he’s provided medical care for persons being held in the Cass County, at little or no expense to the tax payers in Cass County, and furthermore, Dr. Swanson rendered such service with no expectation of reward or personal gain of any kind.”

Baier went on to say “We, the Board of Supervisors, the Sheriff and Jail Administrator of Cass County, publicly recognize Keith Swanson, M.D. For his donation of professional service, and on behalf of the citizens of Cass County, we offer our heartfelt thanks for his civic-minded actions benefiting not only his patients, but the entire community.” Chief Deputy Westering also acknowledged Berniece Swanson for the time she’s sacrificed, and others. He said Dr. Swanson provided a counseling service to the inmates, as well, and that was deeply appreciated. He thanked Swanson’s family, too, for all they have done.

Dr. Swanson accepted a framed certificate of appreciation from Steve Baier, and thanked the Board, Sheriff and Chief Deputy. He said “It’s been my privilege to serve the people of the County and I hope some of those prisoners out with what I had to say to ’em.” In other business, the Supervisors tabled the appointment of a Town Clerk for Brighton Township, as no person was available to accept the post.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is part of an ovarian cancer study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Doctor Mary Charlton at the University of Iowa says they are trying to find out why women don’t go to a gynecologic oncologist for treatment. “The guidelines says that the survival and other outcomes are much better when women are operated on by these specialist providers,” Charlton says. “So, we are trying to figure out what are some barriers and what are some things we might be able to do better.”

Charlton says one issue maybe access to the specialists. “That’s a big part of it — we only have six in the whole state of Iowa — and five of them are here in Iowa City. So they are not geographically distributed very well,” she says. “But the ones that I have talked to here believed that between the six of them they do have the capacity to treat all of our ovarian cancer patients in Iowa.”  She says that isn’t the only issue and they want to find out more. “Is it that rural patients don’t know that they should go? Is it that they can’t –they have some transportation barriers, lodging barriers — things like and so they just really need to be treated closer to home. We are looking into is it possible for some of the hospitals to work closer together. Can we do a little bit more outreach?,” Charlton says.

She says the study involves a lot of interviews. “We’ve already been talking with O-B-G-Y-N’s around the state and some hospital administrators to get their perception of what’s happening,” according to Charlton. “We’ve talked to some of the gynecologic oncologists and then also through the Iowa Cancer Registry, where I am the associate director, we are also interviewing survivors of ovarian cancer to ask them about their experience and any barriers to receiving care.”

Charlton says the study will take one year to complete. She says they will spend part of the time figuring out what the problems are and then trying to figure out what they can do to make things easier for patients. Charlton says it is the eighth most common cancer in Iowa and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women. “So definitely nowhere near the numbers like breast cancer. But it’s a lot more deadly than breast cancer,” Charlton explains. “Where you have almost I think a 90 percent five-year survival rate for breast cancer — you have a less than 50 percent five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer patients.”

Charlton says there are no effective screening or early detection tools for ovarian cancer. Given the lack of prevention and early detection, effective treatment has emerged as an evidence-based mechanism for reducing ovarian cancer deaths.

MEAD, Neb. (AP) —  Authorities say an Iowa man was killed when the pickup truck he was riding in went out of control on an icy highway in eastern Nebraska. Authorities say Jose Rodas died Friday after the pickup collided with an oncoming sport utility vehicle on U.S. Highway 77, about 1.75 miles north of Mead. Rodas lived in Sioux City, Iowa. The pickup driver, Nicolas Leon, of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, was taken to a Wahoo hospital. Another passenger, Anevol Hernandez, of Sioux City, Iowa, was treated for minor injuries. The SUV driver was identified as Kristen Kusik, of Lincoln. Kusik was taken to an Omaha hospital.

CENTERVILLE, Iowa (AP) – A Nativity scene removed from a county courthouse lawn in southern Iowa won’t be returning. The scene was erected Nov. 18 outside the Appanoose County Courthouse in Centerville, but some residents complained that a religious display shouldn’t be placed on government property. It was moved away Dec. 9. Other residents soon called for its return. The county owns the building and the land underneath; the city owns the lawn.

The Daily Iowegian reports that City Administrator Jason Fraser said at Monday’s council meeting that the Nativity scene location was just an agenda discussion item, so the council couldn’t vote on the issue.

Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County arrested a man on Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charges, Monday, following an incident at a residence in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street, in Red Oak. 34-year old Randon Phelps, of Red Oak, was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where his cash bond was set at $300.