Category: Health

Business, Health, SiouxlandLeave a comment

Marching through restaurant inspections in Siouxland – Update for Iowa and S.D.

Gary Dickson

State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa and South Dakota restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including poorly cooked beef, lack of food thermometers, unclean equipment, handling food with bare hands, repeat violations and dirty kitchens.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. South Dakota food establishment inspections are handled by the South Dakota Department of Health. Listed below are some of the findings that stem from inspections at Siouxland restaurants and convenience stores over the past five weeks.

Dig in to the details. Continue reading Marching through restaurant inspections in Siouxland – Update for Iowa and S.D.

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South Dakota’s high healthcare costs causing many to skip treatments

Gary Dickson

The high cost of obtaining health care in South Dakota – ranked second most expensive in the nation – is prompting some residents to forgo necessary medical care over worries they cannot afford it, according to a recent national data analysis.

South Dakota is followed only by North Carolina in a new national ranking of healthcare expenses based on the cost of medical care and insurance. At nearly $12,500 per year, the state has the highest per-capita healthcare spending rate among all Great Plains states, the data show. Continue reading South Dakota’s high healthcare costs causing many to skip treatments

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Spencer Hospital nurse charged with overdosing patients

Gary Dickson

An Iowa hospital nurse has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that she deliberately overdosed patients with medications.

Rachel Faith Martinez, 36, of Peterson, is charged with six criminal violations related to her work at Clay County’s Spencer Hospital in late 2022.

The charges include two felony counts of obtaining a prescription drug by deceit and four counts of wanton neglect of a dependent adult by a caretaker, a serious misdemeanor. Continue reading Spencer Hospital nurse charged with overdosing patients

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Sioux City pharmacy fined for life-threatening medication error

Gary Dickson

A Sioux City pharmacy with a history of regulatory violations has been fined for a medication error that led to a life-threatening situation for a customer.

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy alleges that on Oct. 4, 2023, Greenville Pharmacy in Sioux City incorrectly filled a prescription for a customer who then began taking the drug.

Three weeks later, the customer was treated in the emergency room of a hospital and was then admitted for what the board says was a “life-threatening condition resulting from this medication error.”

Greenville Pharmacy was charged Continue reading Sioux City pharmacy fined for life-threatening medication error

Government, Health, South DakotaLeave a comment

Long-term care committee’s work translates into legislative success

Gary Dickson

Out of the 12 recommendations made by an interim legislative committee studying the sustainability of long-term care in South Dakota, most passed the legislative process.

That’s a clear success, said committee co-chair Sen. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton. Legislators were challenged last year to produce recommendations that would pass through the process, something that summer studies have struggled with in years past. This year’s legislative session ended last week, except for a day on March 25 to consider vetoes. Continue reading Long-term care committee’s work translates into legislative success

Health, Siouxland1 Comment

Restaurant inspection update for February

Gary Dickson

State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including poorly cooked chicken, lack of food thermometers, unclean equipment, handling crab meat with bare hands and dirty kitchens.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the findings that stem from inspections at Siouxland restaurants and convenience stores over the past four weeks. Continue reading Restaurant inspection update for February

Government, Health, IowaLeave a comment

Republicans and Democrats offer competing solutions in Iowa Legislature to nursing home ‘crisis’

Gary Dickson

Democratic state lawmakers are pushing legislation to increase state oversight of nursing homes while Republican legislators are advancing a bill that could reduce such oversight.

Both initiatives are being advanced now due to a spate of deaths and serious injuries tied to regulatory violations in Iowa nursing homes. Republican lawmakers say the situation calls for a more “collaborative” approach to enforcement, while Democrats argue the state isn’t being tough enough on violators. Continue reading Republicans and Democrats offer competing solutions in Iowa Legislature to nursing home ‘crisis’

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Iowa nurses sanctioned for drug theft, fraud and being drunk on the job

Gary Dickson

The Iowa Board of Nursing has revoked the license of a Cedar Rapids hospital nurse accused of repeatedly showing up for work while intoxicated.

Other Iowa-licensed nurses recently sanctioned by the board included two nurses from Sioux City: Theresa Hofmeister and Marcia Naberhaus. Continue reading Iowa nurses sanctioned for drug theft, fraud and being drunk on the job

Business, Health, Iowa, South DakotaLeave a comment

New year brings new restaurant inspections in Siouxland

Gary Dickson

Below are some of their findings over the past month as reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing and the South Dakota Department of Health which handle food-establishment inspections at the state level.

NOTE: There are some differences between the inspections of Iowa and South Dakota. One difference between the inspections is that Iowa’s inspectors put down a date for when violations or concerns are to be resolved. While there is a place for a date on South Dakota’s forms, none of the inspectors put down a date that violations needed to be resolved/fixed. It appears that South Dakota’s motto of “Freedom Lives Here” is being applied to the state health department’s inspection division. Continue reading New year brings new restaurant inspections in Siouxland

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State allegedly rejected previous complaint about nursing home rape suspect

Gary Dickson

An Iowa caregiver alleges state nursing home regulators declined to investigate her complaint last spring against a man now being investigated for the alleged rape of a nursing home resident.

The female caregiver was working at Friendship Home in Audubon last April when she allegedly filed a complaint with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing about the behavior of a male coworker. Continue reading State allegedly rejected previous complaint about nursing home rape suspect