On this episode, we learn about Harvest Academy, a recovery program in Indianola that's building a new campus in Des Moines. We meet Derek Johnson, the program's COO who landed in this line of work after his own years-long struggle with addiction. We also talk with Troy Roberts, a graduate of the program who now goes into Polk County Jail to recruit future students. Then, we talk with Iowa State University professor Raquel Espin Palazon, whose white blood cell research could lead to new cancer treatments.
Natalie Krebs
/
Iowa Public Radio
-
Water quality has become a bigger part of the public conversation in Iowa as the Des Moines metro and smaller communities around the state grapple with high nitrate levels. Many homeowners are concerned about their health and are looking into reverse osmosis to filter out these contaminants. -
Radon gas is naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, and the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Nearly three-quarters of Iowa homes have tested high, and yet most Iowans have never tested their home, and many have never heard of radon. Joined by Maria Steele, retired nurse practitioner and lung cancer survivor, Dr. Richard Deming, medical director at MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center, and Juliann Van Liew, Polk County Health Department Director, we look at the radon problem in Iowa. We talk about what it is, why it's so pronounced in the state, what's being done about it, and how to limit exposure. -
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the maker of Roundup can’t be sued for failing to warn people that the weedkiller could cause cancer. The decision follows failed efforts in the Iowa Legislature to limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness.
-
The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, will examine how factors like PFAS and nitrate affect Iowans' health -
The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital will receive up to $3 million for pediatric cancer research annually, under a bill signed into law Tuesday. -
Two psychologists from Iowa State University join the program. Their whose research seeks to improve accuracy in witness and suspect testimony in the criminal justice system. Professor of psychology Zlatan Krizan discusses how sleep deprivation may influence confessions and witness statements, while associate professor of psychology Andrew Smith explains how video recording of eyewitness suspect lineups could improve confidence in those practices and assist in criminal trials. Later, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine researcher Colin Kenny explains how using zebrafish in research can help to better understand a rare eye cancer and improve treatment.
-
Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for governor, has shared priorities for water quality and healthcare for Iowans, including changes to manure management plans and an immediate reversal of the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa. -
Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation. A recent report points to contaminants in our water, soil and air as key culprits. On this episode, we talk with two of the authors of this report on environmental risk factors including pesticides, PFAS, nitrates and Iowa's cancer crisis. The report offers several policy and personal recommendations to reduce adverse environmental exposures, including expansion of the state's water monitoring network. The Iowa Legislature diverted funds for the Iowa Quality Information System in 2023. While county governments and other groups have helped fund the system the last few years, Iowa Flood Center Director Larry Weber is asking lawmakers to reappropriate funds before the end of this year's session. (The Harkin Institute and Iowa Environmental Council are sponsors of IPR.)
-
State officials hope to bring in up to $1 billion in federal funds over the next five years to improve rural health infrastructure, but some say it will do little to help rural hospitals weather looming Medicaid spending reductions.
