Iowa’s hospitals provided more than 353-million dollars worth of “uncompensated care” last year — charity care or care written off as bad debt. The data came in a report issued today (Monday) by the Iowa Hospital Association. Kirk Norris, president and C-E-O of the Iowa Hospital Association, says hospital executives support the idea of raising the state cigarette tax to cover a shortfall in the state’s Medicaid budget which provides care for poor, disabled and poor elderly. “We definitely support an increase in the tobacco tax,” Norris says. The Hospital Association support a dollar a pack increase in the cigarette tax, and starting this week, the association is running advertisements calling for the tax increase. Eric Lothe, president and C-E-O of Skiff Medical Center in Newton, says cuts in state spending on Medicaid patients are forcing his hospital to make cuts. He says the Medicaid reimbursement shortfall is becoming a significant issue. Three years ago, the Newton hospital’s Medicaid shortfall was 48 percent; last year is was 53 percent. Newton’s hospital discontinued its short-stay assisted living unit and made substantial cut-backs in its extended home care program because the hospital couldn’t sustain the financial losses. Norris says federal changes made in 2003 have helped, a bit, in reducing the hospital deficits created by lower reimbursement rates for treating the elderly who’re on Medicare. In 2003, Iowa hospitals lost about 100 million dollars treating Medicare patients. Last year, there were still losses, but amounted to about 70 rather than 100 million. “It didn’t solve the problem, but it definitely did help in getting us headed in the right direction,” Norris says. There are one-hundred-16 hospitals in Iowa. The Iowa Hospital Association report shows those hospitals offered 64 million dollars worth of free or reduced-price services to their communities in 2004, things like nutritional couseling or letting heart patients use a hospital exercise gym.
ACT Head says the country’s in a "college readiness crisis"
The head of the organization that administers the A-C-T college entrance exam says Iowa and the rest of the country are in a “college readiness crisis.” Dr. Richard Ferguson, A-C-T’s chief executive officer, testified today (Monday) before the Education Committees in the Iowa House and Senate. Ferguson says “all too many students” fail to take courses that are rigorous, and they end up scoring lower on the A-C-T — and their performance in college stuffers. Next week, A-C-T will release a report showing what should be taught in math and science courses, because Ferguson says just calling it algebra doesn’t mean students are learning the right skills. “What we’re focusing on as much as anything is the fact that large numbers of students nationally and in the state of Iowa are not taking the courses, and not taking courses with the rigor that is needed to prepare them adequately for academic success in college or for that matter, entry to the workplace,” Ferguson says. Ferguson says expectations need to be set to make it clear to students they need to take tough courses in high school. Legislators have refused to set a statewide standard for high school graduation, letting local schools make those decisions. Ferguson says legislators need to set higher expectations for coursework in high school. “If you don’t accept it, we’ll see a deterioration of the readiness of our students in Iowa both for the workplace and for higher education,” Ferguson says. “That’s not a very good choice.” The A-C-T report — “On Course for Success” — will spell out what should be taught in high school math and science classes. That report will be released next week at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D-C.
M-S chapter holds meetings
This (Monday) evening the Iowa Chapter of the national MS society holds an open-hours to introduce several new staff members, and to urge Iowans to “Have a Heart.” Spokeswoman Michelle Hamilton says the Valentine’s-Day theme was chosen to let folks know just how much the state organization helps clients and families. The society serves all of Iowa, with 4-thousand clients in the state who have MS — plus, she says, they offer help to their families, too. All funds raised through special events, direct mail and corporate sponsors will help clients, she says. 60-cents of every dollar raised will stay in Iowa, the other forty-cents goes to the national society. There are conferences for patients and their families, and Hamilton says the society offers support and the information they’re looking for. Some are aimed at the families of people who have MS, for example a kids’ publication called “Keep Smiling.” She explains a 100-dollar donation will pay a year’s worth of postage to send out the “Keep Smiling” newsletter and a brochure series called “Knowledge is Power” to the families of newly-diagnosed clients. She says participating in the society’s events can give everyone a fun way to provide that kind of support. If two people purchased a mile-marker for one of the MS walks, at 100-dollars apiece, the 200-dollars that would raise would pay for ten videos about the disease, as well as five books for the organization’s lending library. The MS Society sponsors nine walks a year in the state, and Hamilton says walkers get prizes, from T-shirts up to the “Golden Toes Club” for top fundraisers. The Open House tonight is at the Iowa Chapter’s office in West Des Moines, from 5 to 7 PM, or visit the organization’s website — at www.nationalmssociety.org/iac
Names released in fatal Glenwood bowling alley shooting
Police have released the names of the two men involved in a deadly shooting at a bowling alley in Glenwood last night. Police identify the victim of the shooting as 47-year-old Donald Mark Mayberry and the shooter as 44-year-old Dennis Stonerook. A police report says Stonerook shot Mayberry four times — but its say Mayberry died after being hit by the first shot. Media reports from witnesses say the two men had an argument, but police are not releasing any details of what led to the shooting. Stonerook is charged with first-degree murder, willful injury, and going armed with intent. The State Division of Criminal Investigation has taken charge of the case with the assistance of local officials.
Famous designer visits Iowa
An interior and architectural designer best known for his stint on T-V’s “Trading Spaces” is visiting Iowa this week, offering tips for home makeovers.Vern Yip says re-doing a room isn’t just about what color to put on the four walls. He says every room has six surfaces, including the ceiling and perhaps most important — the floor. It’s not only a visual item, but it’s also very tactile, Yip says, since you’re almost always in contact with it. He says the floor isn’t just a surface, it’s an opportunity to inject design and have carpets, rugs and other flooring surfaces be art, not just materials. Yip, who’ll have his own show on N-B-C this fall called “Home Intervention,” says always put plans on paper before starting a project.Make a physical and a financial plan. Draw it out on graph paper if you don’t have a computer program to help you along so you know what you’ll be looking for. Research it all ahead of time so you make sure you invest in quality. He adds, quality doesn’t have to mean high cost and an expensive items isn’t always high quality either. Lastly, Yip says to “Make your home a true physical manifestation of you. Don’t be afraid to inject your personality and your own individual style into a space.” Yip will be making presentations and doing Q-and-A sessions at the Des Moines Home and Garden Show at various times Thursday through Saturday. For information, surf to “www.desmoineshomeandgardenshow” or call 800-HOM-SHOW.
Allford says Hawkeyes in thick of NCAA Tournament hunt.
Iowa coach Steve Alford says the Hawkeyes have a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament. Iowa is 16-7 overall and 4-6 in the Big Ten heading into Wednesday night’s game at Purdue. Also, junior forward Greg Brunner has been named the Big Ten Conference “player of the week”. The native of Charles City averaged just over 21-points and five rebounds as the Hawkeyes lost at 20th ranked Wisconsin 72-69 and beat Northwestern 64-54 in Iowa City.
Iowa women lose lead, fall to Ohio State
The Iowa Hawkeye women zoomed out to a 12-point first half lead over second ranked Ohio State on Sunday but the Buckeyes used hot shooting to rally for a 67-60 victory over the Hawkeyes in Iowa CIty.Iowa coach Lisa Bluder says they wanted to come out and play their best game, and she says for the most part they did that. The Hawkeyes canned seven three pointers early top jump out to a 34-22 advantage in the opening half but did not score in the final six minutes and Ohio State had a 38-34 lead at the break.Iowa led 53-47 with just under 12 minutes to play but again the Buckeyes clamped down as the held the Hawkeyes to just two baskets the rest of the game. Jamie Cavey led Iowa with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Hawkeyes fall to 5-7 in the Big Ten and 16-7 overall. She says she told her team that they Buckeyes are one of the top teams in the nation, and if they keep their focus they can compete with any team. The Hawkeyes host Michigan State on Thursday.
