Blog

Rumor Control: It’s still legal to teach about HPV and HPV vaccine in Iowa

During the 2023 Iowa Legislative session, a bill signed into law eliminated the state mandate requiring all school districts to provide education about the human papillomavirus (HPV), the HPV vaccine, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in school.  The new law does not prohibit schools from teaching about HPV and AIDS, but rather removes the requirement…

Mohs Surgery: Skin Cancer Treatment

Written By: Nicole A. Negbenebor, MD, and Carolina Gonzalez Bravo, BS Nicole A. Negbenebor, MD, is a Mohs surgery fellow in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC). As a Co-founder of the Skin of Color Community platform, Dr. Negbenebor shares a passion for increasing diversity in the dermatology…

Iowa Medicaid Unwinding: What you need to know

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, state Medicaid offices were required to provide continuous healthcare coverage for all members to ensure that no one lost their coverage during the public health emergency.  Iowa was not allowed to disenroll anyone from Medicaid beginning March 18, 2020, regardless of their eligibility status. What is Medicaid Unwinding? Because state…

2022 Annual Report

As we look back upon our collective accomplishments and into the future, we would like to thank the Iowa Cancer Consortium’s Board of Directors, members, legislators and many partners across the state for making this work possible. View the report below by clicking to advance the pages. 2022 Iowa Cancer Consortium Annual Report

Introducing the Iowa Oncology Navigation Network (IONN)

By Courtney Vassiliades, Lori Pietig and Kelly Angell When a newly diagnosed cancer patient needed additional support, Courtney Vassiliades jumped into action. Courtney is a Social Worker Specialist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in the Care Coordination Division. Part of her job is ensuring a patient’s care is transferred well to their…

Celebrating 50 years of the Iowa Cancer Registry

Did you know ‘cancer’ is a reportable disease in all 50 states? To make sense of all the data, there are actually teams of health providers, medical systems, and research scientists that come together to collect this information and share with the public. And in Iowa, we have the Iowa Cancer Registry. Since 1973, the…

Getting There: Practically Addressing Transportation Barriers for Cancer Treatment

By Kelly Angell, Rural Outreach Coordinator, Iowa Cancer Consortium Featuring Danny Schnathorst, Mobility Outreach Coordinator, HIRTA Addressing transportation barriers for cancer patients can be a challenging, time-consuming, and resource-heavy task, but getting it right can bring huge rewards. It requires patience, proper funding, time, learning and collaboration. Medical professionals could be working with a patient…

Soulful Healing Yoga for Breast and Chest Cancer

By Melissa Walker I am Melissa, a yoga practitioner, teacher, and creator of Soulful Healing Yoga in Des Moines, Iowa. Many years ago as a writer, I shared the stories of breast cancer survivors. Coincidentally, I was also starting my own journey as a yoga teacher. When those I was interviewing learned about yoga –…

Iowans Honored for Work in Cancer Control

Almost 200 cancer professionals and advocates came together in Ankeny on October 25th for the annual Iowa Cancer Summit. Among them were the recipients of three awards, given out every year by the Iowa Cancer Consortium to people who have worked to reduce the burden of cancer in the state. Retired Gazette columnist and three-time…

Meet Caroline Powell, Outreach Coordinator (CDC Public Health Associate)

My name is Caroline Powell, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from the Iowa Cancer Consortium team as their newest Outreach Coordinator through the CDC’s Public Health Associate (PHAP) training program. I have called New York City and Washington D.C. home, having graduated this past spring from American University…