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'I Think There Was A Time When I Really Thought It Would Be Gone Soon': Doctor Reflects On COVID-19 Pandemic One Year In

Lauren Graham (second from left) on vacation with her husband and two twin sons before COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Iowa last March.
Lauren Graham
Lauren Graham (second from left) on vacation with her husband and twin sons before the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the past year, Lauren Graham, a doctor at the Grinnell Medical Center, has coordinated the hospital's COVID-19 response. She reflects back on her challenging year.

A year ago on Monday, state officials announced the first three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iowa. This marked the start of a year that would look like no other for Iowans.

One person whose life has drastically changed is Lauren Graham. She’s a doctor at the Grinnell Regional Medical Center. For the past year, she’s been the facility's COVID-19 coordinator. IPR’s health reporter Natalie Krebs spoke to her about what she’s learned one year into the pandemic.

Natalie Krebs is IPR's Health Reporter and collaborator with Side Effects Public Media. Krebs has expertise covering health news and issues, including maternal health and rural health care access. She's covered abortion access and women's health care in Iowa and the Midwest, news from Iowa's state health agencies, and medical care and health concerns for elders. Krebs is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.