Natalie Krebs

The state Department of Public Health has reported that two people have died from the flu. These are the first flu-related deaths reported in the state this year.

Iowa has one of the lowest survival rates for lung cancer in the nation, according to a new report by the American Lung Association.

UnityPoint Health, one of Iowa's largest healthcare systems, has called off its merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health.

The state attorney general's office has announced it will launch a tracking and reporting system for rape kits. 

A new report has found that nearly one in ten Iowa children are born pre-term. 

Open enrollment for Iowans who get their health coverage through the Affordable Care Act begins on Nov. 1. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds will not pursue an executive order to ban vaping in Iowa. Instead, state health and education officials will focus on educational programs and a social media campaign warning minors of the health risks associated with e-cigarettes.

An Iowa State state study has found that two out of five young adults have a substance use disorder.

The study, which was published in the Journal of American College Health, surveyed more than 3,200 young adults both in college and not in college and found nearly 40 percent of college students and more than 44 percent of their non-college peers had at least one substance use disorder within the past year. 

More than 50,000 -- or 16 percent -- of Iowa's children ages 10 to 17 are considered obese, according to data released this week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Iowa health experts have been awarded a $10 million grant to study the state’s increasing maternal mortality rate.

Iowa has one of the highest obesity rates in the country, according a new report by the non-profit Trust for America's Health.

More than 35 percent of Iowans are considered obese, making it seventh in the nation. That's significantly higher than the national rate of about 31 percent, according to the report.

At least two dozen people expressed concerns to the Madison County Board of Supervisors Tuesday about an ordinance that would halt the construction of wind turbines for at least two years.

The proposed ordinance has come in response to concerns about potential health impacts from the turbines from the county board of health.

The board has recommended that turbines be built at least a mile and a half from houses.

A recent study by the University of Iowa found many rural Iowans may not be receiving care that meets an accrediting group’s standards.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is asking for the public’s help in identifying cases of respiratory illnesses possibly linked to vaping after four reported cases of severe respiratory illness in young adults.

Nearly 14,000 Iowans could be affected by Planned Parenthood's decision to withdraw from a the Title X federal family planning program, which funds family planning services for low-income individuals, according to local leaders from the health clinic.

More Iowans who get their insurance through their employer are on high deductible plans, accoring to a recent report by the University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC).

Iowa is not doing enough to deter kids from using tobacco, according to a report by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

The annual report ranks how well states are implementing policies to reduce cancer rates.

It gave Iowa low marks in tobacco prevention funding, cigarette tax rates, Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation and indoor tanning device restrictions.

A Polk County judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a law that would allow organizations using public insurance dollars – like Medicaid – to opt out of covering gender-affirming surgery.

The state of Iowa has agreed to pay an additional $386 million in state and federal dollars to the two private insurance companies that manage the state’s Medicaid program for low-income and disabled residents.

Last year, opioid-related deaths in Iowa decreased by 33 percent, marking a five year low for the state, according to statistics released this month from the state's Department of Health Statistics.

UnityPoint Health, one of the state's largest healthcare systems, has announced it is pursuing a merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health.