Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

Political divisions mingle with Bloomfield’s push for vitality

BLOOMFIELD, Iowa – A lot of people were paying attention to Bloomfield, in southern Iowa, a few years ago. “Bloomfield sets sustainable design example for Iowa,” a Jan. 1, 2016, Des

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 26 Aug 2021

Political divisions mingle with Bloomfield’s push for vitality

How a handful of Iowa towns thrive, rise above rural decline

A handful of small Iowa towns with populations of less than 5,000 and not part of a larger metro area, bucked the trend and grew their populations in the 2020 census data just released. Growing small towns have one or more factors working in their favor, a summer-long IowaWatch investigation reveale

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch and Pat Kinney / IowaWatch

/ 17 Aug 2021

How a handful of Iowa towns thrive, rise above rural decline

Tips for vitalizing small town Iowa

We asked leaders in several rural Iowa towns for ways small Iowa towns could be vital. Jobs are a given, although those interviewed said having jobs, alone, does not guarantee vitality if other dynamics are not present in town.

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 17 Aug 2021

Iowa COVID-19 researcher had unpleasant view from the other side

Jesse Espinoza has seen COVID-19 up close in more than one way. His story, in his words, in the last installment of our series on the voices of COVID-19 in Iowa.

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 19 Mar 2021

Iowa COVID-19 researcher had unpleasant view from the other side

Pregnant nurse caring for COVID-19 patients: sometimes "I left work just bawling"

Lilly Olson was pregnant when dealing with hospital patients suffering from COVID-19, and at a time when healthcare professionals were climbing a learning curve for treating the people with the virus. She feared for what the virus could do to her family, including her unborn child.

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 18 Mar 2021

Pregnant nurse caring for COVID-19 patients: sometimes "I left work just bawling"

Doctor treating COVID patients: "We work hard to try to facilitate communication but it's often not possible"

On a normal day, helping sick people cope with the most serious, life-threatening illnesses is a given at the medical intensive care unit at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Lung failure, liver failure, kidney failure – the list goes on. Dr. Gregory Schmidt sees a little more than a dozen o

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 17 Mar 2021

Doctor treating COVID patients: "We work hard to try to facilitate communication but it's often not possible"

Dying while denying: one of the heart wrenching stories from treating COVID patients

Kirstin Brainard’s daily rounds as a floor nurse at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics’ medical intensive care unit are a mix of reviewing how patients have done the past 24 hours, helping treat those patients and taking new admissions. Brainard is part of an 8-person team, which has to be rea

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 16 Mar 2021

Dying while denying: one of the heart wrenching stories from treating COVID patients

COVID-19 Long-Hauler Still Suffering A Year Later

A year ago, Darcy Havel-Sturdevant couldn’t have imagined what was in store for her: splitting headaches, exhaustion, shortness of breath, being unable to focus, the memory lapses. Here is her story, in her words.

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 15 Mar 2021

COVID-19 Long-Hauler Still Suffering A Year Later

COVID-19 hit Iowa hospitals' income hard, new data show

Seventy-six of Iowa’s 82 critical access hospitals ended the last fiscal year with negative operating margins, an IowaWatch analysis of their most recently reported financial data shows. Iowa’s situation falls in line with a national report that shows 46% of the nation’s rural hospitals are working

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 16 Feb 2021

COVID-19 hit Iowa hospitals' income hard, new data show

Front-line workers on COVID's severity: 'We've never seen anything like this'

Despite all of the reporting, public announcements and warnings from health care professionals, community leaders and elected officials, health care workers IowaWatch spoke with as 2020 drew to a close said many people still don’t understand the severity of suffering that the people hit hardest with

By Suzanne Behnke, IowaWatch and Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 23 Dec 2020

Front-line workers on COVID's severity: 'We've never seen anything like this'

Iowa hospitals' financial losses mount amid COVID-19

Iowa hospitals lost an estimated $433 million in March through October because of COVID-19, the Iowa Hospital Association said in a report released Wednesday, Dec. 16. The association reported

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 16 Dec 2020

Iowa hospitals' financial losses mount amid COVID-19

Death, illness prompt plea for Iowans to take personal COVID-19 safety measures

The state's hospital and nursing leaders in Iowa pleaded Tuesday with Iowans to take safety steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 as the glut of cases continued to tax their ability to help people with the virus. "We have folks new in health care and those who have been around for decades who are ast

By Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 24 Nov 2020

Political divisions mingle with Bloomfield’s push for vitality

How a handful of Iowa towns thrive, rise above rural decline

Tips for vitalizing small town Iowa

Iowa COVID-19 researcher had unpleasant view from the other side

Pregnant nurse caring for COVID-19 patients: sometimes "I left work just bawling"

Doctor treating COVID patients: "We work hard to try to facilitate communication but it's often not possible"

Dying while denying: one of the heart wrenching stories from treating COVID patients

COVID-19 Long-Hauler Still Suffering A Year Later

COVID-19 hit Iowa hospitals' income hard, new data show

Front-line workers on COVID's severity: 'We've never seen anything like this'

Iowa hospitals' financial losses mount amid COVID-19

Death, illness prompt plea for Iowans to take personal COVID-19 safety measures

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