Iowa journalist since 1988. Now covering rural health issues for @KFFHealthNews. Alum of @DMRegister, @KSJatMIT, @UWMadison. Unrepentant punster.
Des Moines, IA
Joined July 2009
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Iowa’s attorney general leads 20-state lawsuit against planned federal staffing minimums for nursing homes. Patient safety advocates say the Biden administration rule would save lives. Industry says it would force facility closures. desmoinesregister.com/story/… via @DMRMorris
Adult-size changing tables are being installed around the country to prevent humiliating bathroom situations for people with disabilities. Without such tables, many people wind up being changed on the floor, on the ground or in cars. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024… via @IowaCapDispatch
“If you’re interested, you become interesting,” @HarrySmith tells students in his new gig at his Iowa alma mater, Central College. Many never heard of him, because they don’t watch network news. Terrific story by @BrooklynDraisey iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024…
Tony Leys retweeted
🚨This is the most troubling story I've investigated all year. I hope it has an impact. @KFFHealthNews + @NPR
Lower wage healthcare workers are struggling after covid. Society has left them hanging. npr.org/sections/shots-healt…
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Report about fatal Iowa school shooting is kept secret. “The county attorney needs to be prepared to explain to the people of Dallas County why they are being kept in the dark. It's their kids. It's their schools. They are the ones who are still grieving." desmoinesregister.com/story/…
… Newton is in Jasper County, which like many areas has far fewer children than it did during the baby boom years. Births to Jasper County residents dropped 55% from 1957 to 2022, records show. I wrote about the trend recently for @KFFHealthNews
kffhealthnews.org/news/artic…
Yet another Iowa hospital is shuttering its birthing unit, citing an inability to recruit doctors and a sharp decline in patient numbers, @ChrisBrunswick reports. More than 40 such units have closed in Iowa since 2000, mostly in rural regions. newtondailynews.com/news/loc…
Patient was on the table once but was billed for two surgeries. She said it was as if she ordered a meal at a fast-food restaurant, got extra fries, and then was charged for two whole meals. “I didn’t get the extra burger and drink and a toy,” she joked. kffhealthnews.org/MTkwMTg0Nw
Tony Leys retweeted
A surgeon addressed a secondary problem he noticed during a routine operation, but the patient was billed for two separate operations. “If they’re going to be petty to me, I’m willing to be petty right back,” the patient said. Via @tonyleys @KFFHealthNews kffhealthnews.org/news/artic…
An Iowa activist draws national admiration by pushing for services that people with disabilities need to live in their homes and participate in society. “These are the kinds of rights that are built brick by brick.” usatoday.com/story/news/nati…
Iowa’s shortage of mental health care for kids is getting even worse, @leerood reports. The number of group-home beds has dropped by nearly half since 2019. A West Des Moines woman recounts having to send her 13-year-old to Florida for care.
desmoinesregister.com/story/…
Tony Leys retweeted
I asked dairy workers why they’re not getting tested.
No one had heard of bird flu, never mind gotten PPE or offers of tests. One said they don’t get much from their employers, not even water. If they call in sick, they worry about getting fired. kffhealthnews.org/news/artic…
Tony Leys retweeted
Iowa's six-week abortion ban is in effect as of this morning.
Read @Michaela_Ramm's story about how patients and providers handled the final days before the law became enforceable. desmoinesregister.com/story/…
Tony Leys retweeted
Fewer than half of rural U.S. hospitals offer labor & delivery services, reports @tonyleys. In some areas, births have dropped by three-quarters since the baby boom’s peak. Via @KFFHealthNews kffhealthnews.org/news/artic…
Tony Leys retweeted
NEW: The Biden administration set stringent new federal staffing rules. But for years, nursing homes have failed to meet the toughest standards set by states.
@jordanrau reports ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/artic…
