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.
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UnityPoint nurses marched through Des Moines months after a still undetermined election in December on whether to form a union. Nurses said the hospital is filing objections to delay confirming the vote. -
On this Newsbuzz episode, we take a look at the latest bills Gov. Reynolds has signed into law in her final session as governor. We also hear about a new University of Iowa program to improve health outcomes for Iowans and how the Iowa City School District is navigating deep financial mismanagement. Then, state climatologist Justin Glisan joins us to discuss the threat of a flash drought in Iowa. We'll also hear from IPR’s Nicole Baxter on National Drive-In Movie Day and we groove into the weekend with Studio One host Lucius Pham. -
An internationally-renowned biomechanics researcher had his first job catching mice at six years old. On this episode, we talk with Walter Herzog, this year's recipient of the ORS Arthur Steindler, MD Award. Then, we learn more about the namesake of the award from the University of Iowa's Dr. Jody Buckwalter IV. Dr. Steindler emigrated to the U.S. from Vienna in 1907, and founded UI Healthcare's orthopedics department over a century ago. He also opened the doors for other groundbreaking doctors in Iowa and was instrumental in the passage of two state laws that significantly altered its healthcare landscape.
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Broadlawns Medical Center's new mobile clinic aims to increase access to dementia care and testing for underserved populations in Polk County. -
A state-of-the-art facility opening in Council Bluffs in June is expected to help boost services and inpatient psychiatric care beds in a more peaceful setting. -
The Alzheimer's Association has released a new report on brain health and the findings are eye-opening. Nine in 10 Americans said brain health matters deeply to them — but only 9% said they know enough about how to protect their brains. Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Association and dementia care specialist Dr. Yogesh Shah of the Broadlawns Memory Clinic in Des Moines discuss the findings of the report and ways to fill this knowledge gap.
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At this year's Obermann Symposium, University of Iowa researchers are tackling the achievement gap for rural students, unequal access to nutritious food and communities not adapting to an aging population. The symposium is meant to harness the work being done in rural areas to better collaborate. Ben Kieffer speaks with one of the organizers, law professor Daria Fisher Page, and the experts focusing on rural issues; professor of gerontology Brian Kaskie; professor in learning sciences and educational psychology Duhita Mahatmya; and professor of occupational and environmental health Brandi Janssen.
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A tax hike on HMO health insurance plans that would raise money to help the state pay for Medicaid has advanced through committees in the Iowa House and Senate. Insurance and business group lobbyists criticized the proposal, saying it would raise health care costs for Iowans. -
Over the course of his career, Dr. Michael Welsh has seen cystic fibrosis transform from terminal to highly treatable. On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we listen back to Charity Nebbe's conversation with Dr. Welsh of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, who has been studying and treating Cystic Fibrosis for nearly 50 years. Dr. Welsh was awarded the 2025 Canada Gairdner International Award for his work on cystic fibrosis. Then, we hear about the Homestead Folk Art Museum in the Amana Colonies. (This show was originally produced on June 5, 2025.)
