Health
Bill establishing midwife licensing advances through Iowa House
Midwives would have a licensing process for the first time in Iowa under legislation approved with bipartisan support Tuesday by the Iowa House. Iowa is one of 15 states that does not have a licensing process for professional midwives. The bill, House File 265, would create a regulatory board to certify midwives and ensure they’ve […]
Fresh produce is an increasingly popular prescription for chronically ill patients
When Mackenzie Sachs, a registered dietitian on the Blackfeet Reservation, in northwestern Montana, sees a patient experiencing high blood pressure, diabetes, or another chronic illness, her first thought isn’t necessarily to recommend medication. Rather, if the patient doesn’t have easy access to fruit and vegetables, she’ll enroll the person in the FAST Blackfeet produce prescription […]
Ending a pregnancy in 14 states leaves few options. Some are looking to Europe and India for help.
The pills came in a dark salmon-colored envelope, sealed with a plastic covering that traveled more than 7,000 miles, over a dozen time zones from Nagpur, India, in almost exactly one week. They were placed partially under the doormat of a home in a state with one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the […]
Nebraska Gov. Pillen urges awareness, advocacy for those with developmental disabilities
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen joined the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and people with developmental disabilities on Tuesday to proclaim March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Pillen said it’s “really, really important” to keep alive the designation that President Ronald Reagan began in 1987, in order to help with advocacy and support for […]
Nebraska hospitals struggling financially, with most operating in the red last year, officials say
LINCOLN — Nebraska hospital leaders said Monday that a combination of increased costs of labor and supplies, and a failure of Medicaid and Medicare to fully reimburse services, is stressing the state’s health care system. More than half of the state’s hospitals operated in the red last year, they said, and 2023 is expected to […]
Nebraska lawmakers file ‘minority statement’ ahead of debate on trans health care bill
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers on Friday filed a minority statement — a never-before-used tactic — to oppose legislation that would restrict what gender-affirming care minors could receive in the state. State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh and Jen Day, both of Omaha, issued the statement ahead of debate on Legislative Bill 574 on Tuesday. Dubbed the “Let Them Grow Act,” […]
Legislation would allow voters to decide abortion rights in Nebraska Constitution
LINCOLN — One day after proposed abortion restrictions faced a hiccup in legislative support, a Nebraska lawmaker made the case Thursday for voters to determine whether abortion protections should be enshrined in the State Constitution. Legislative Resolution 18CA and LR 19CA, both proposed by State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, would put the question to […]
Nebraska students demand more gun reform five years after national school walkouts
LINCOLN — Students at the Nebraska State Capitol on Thursday demanded action on gun safety and called on the Legislature to halt efforts on a “permitless” concealed carry bill. Various organizations, including Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, Huskers Against Gun Violence and Students Demand Action, connected Thursday’s news conference to National Walkout Day on March 14, […]
Vice President Kamala Harris cites Iowa’s role in legal challenges to abortion
Vice President Kamala Harris, in Des Moines on Thursday, said Iowa is “on the front lines” of the fight over abortion access. Harris joined a roundtable discussion on reproductive rights with Democratic leaders, health care providers and community advocates at Grand View University in Des Moines. It’s not just lawmakers taking action to strip Americans […]
Nebraska lawmaker threatened with censure for comparing transgender legislation with genocide
LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker faced a threat of censure Wednesday for alleging that a couple of bills aim to perpetrate genocide against transgender Nebraskans. State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar offered the motion after State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha made comparisons between past genocides and two bills that she said would lead to […]
Nebraska State Sen. Merv Riepe proposes less stringent, 12-week abortion ban
LINCOLN — The path to passage for a proposed ban on Nebraska abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity ran into a Ralston-sized roadblock on Wednesday. Ralston State Sen. Merve Riepe, a former hospital administrator who supported previous efforts to restrict abortion, proposed amending the restriction in Legislative Bill 626 to instead make abortions illegal […]
DMV, polling places would be audited for ADA compliance under Nebraska bill
LINCOLN — Though talk of election audits has become more frequent in the past few years, a legislative proposal would require a different kind of audit: checking for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Legislative Bill 770, proposed by State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, would require the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office to […]