(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds has signed a bill into law that will create a new, merged system to provide mental health services and substance use treatment to Iowans. “To build a system to change lives for the better,” Reynolds says. The state currently has 13 regions to provide mental health treatment and another 19 regions to serve people with substance use disorders. “The result is duplicative and inconsistent programs statewide, an inefficient system and — worst of all — poor outcomes,” Reynolds says, “and we can do better for Iowans in need and we are. We will.” Seven Behavioral Health Districts will be established.

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services director Kelly Garcia says they’re working on the timeline to complete the merger by mid-2025. “For the first time we will have an intentionally planned system that includes, in statute, prevention, treatment and recovery,” Garcia says.

Governor Reynolds signed the bill creates seven behavioral health regions into law in Cedar Rapids at Foundation 2 Crisis Servies. (RI photo)

Reynolds signed the bill at Foundation 2 Crisis Services in Cedar Rapids. Emily Bloome, the C-E-O of the organization, says the merger is a step in the right direction.  “To help individuals achieve stability and remain mentally well,” Bloome says.

The law gives the state authority to manage the unified system and state officials may choose a public or a private agency to lead each of the seven districts.

(Radio Iowa) – Red Lobster shut down more than 50 of its restaurants and is putting them up for auction, and the auctions are billed as containing “the entire contents” of the closed eateries. TAGeX Brands, a company that helps firms with closures and liquidations, says all of the auctions are now live. Included among the Red Lobsters which closed are those in Council Bluffs and Waterloo.

The auctions come after the chain announced last month it was considering filing for bankruptcy. The chain still has Iowa locations in Ames, Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Davenport, Des Moines and Sioux City.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on persons arrested from May 5th through the 13th. Most recently:

On May 13th, 38-year-old Scott Edward Biekkola, Jr., of Omaha, was arrested for Theft. And, 52-year-old Rachelle Dawn Hunt, of Clarinda, was arrested for Driving While Suspended (DWS), Theft, Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS), and Violation of the Drug Tax Stamp.

On the 11th, 31-year-old Payne David William Dotson, of Lincoln, NE, was arrested in Page County for DWS.

On May 10th, Page County Deputies arrested 38-year-old David Dale Morelock, of Farragut, for DWS, PCS, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

There were three arrests May 9th in Page County: 43-year-old Alexandra Dawn Lasley, of Shenandoah, was arrested for PCS and Poss. of Paraphernalia; 48-year-old Matthew John Stubbendieck, of Essex, was booked into the Page County Jail to serve time; and, 28-year-old Joseph Jace Blakley-Luddington, of Clarinda, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct.

On the eighth of May, 36-year-old Samantha Jill Brown, of Clarinda, was booked into the Page County Jail for Theft; 26-year-old Sayj Elizabeth Martin, of Clarinda, was arrested on an active warrant for Failure to Appear.

On May 7th, Page County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 45-year-old Neal Ray Hacker, of Elmo, MO., on three-counts of Violation of Probation. He was arrested at the Marlboro County, SC Detention Center in Bennettsville, SC.

On May 6th, 18-year-old Hunter Travis Kaufman, of Thurman, was booked-into the Page County Jail to serve time.

And, three people were arrested May 5th, in Page County: 56-year-old Kirk Samuel England, of Red Oak, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct; 25-year-old Lyndon Daniel Bright, of Shenandoah, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, and, 30-year-old Jules Lee Daniel Gould, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Domestic Abuse, Criminal Mischief, and Harassment.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Members of the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center Community School District Boards of Education met Monday and Tuesday evening, respectively. Shared Superintendent Josh Rasmussen said the Adair-Casey Board started-off their meeting with a presentation from Mrs. Betterton, on the DECA organization trip for the district’s business students.

The Adair-Casey Board approved two resignations and contract recommendations, which includes Summer School Instructors. The resignations include…

The Adair-Casey Board also approved a pay application amounting to $136,000, for the bleacher project in Adair.

Mr. Rasmussen said both school district Boards approved their 2023-24 Amended Budgets. The Guthrie Center Board approved two resignations and contract recommendations.

The District Boards also discussed matters related to technology.

The Guthrie Center School Board also discussed matters pertaining to a proposed Dance Team, and SAVE/PPEL purchases (what the needs are for the next year). With regard the dance team…

Commencement for both school districts takes place this Sunday, May 19th, beginning at 1-p.m.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Creston was arrested Tuesday on a felony warrant. 46-year-old Hidie Ann Lemon was wanted on the warrant charging her with Theft. Lemon was taken into custody and transported to the Adams County Jail, where she was being held on a $27,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Iowa’s Biggest Book Sale, which Planned Parenthood ran for more than 60 years in Des Moines before Altoona’s Caring Hands Outreach took it over last winter, has been canceled this year. Leaders of Caring Hands, a Christian nonprofit agency in Altoona, said Tuesday that they “need to reallocate resources to meet the most pressing needs of our neighbors.”

Caring Hands CEO Jodi Urich said in a news release, “While we deeply value the tradition of our annual book sale, we cannot ignore the urgent call to action in addressing food insecurity within our community.Our primary mission has always been to serve those in need, and at this critical time, our focus must remain on ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry.”

Officials with Planned Parenthood North Central States announced last year that October’s book sale fundraiser would be their last. The biannual book sale raised more than $10 million since it started in 1961 at the now-closed Katz Drug Store. That year, $2,650 was raised on the sale of about 13,000 books. Caring Hands in December said they planned to take over the sale.

Caring Hands leaders said in Tuesday’s news release that they are “committed to supporting the efforts of the book committee in finding a larger organization to continue this beloved community event in the future.” Urich said “Our collaboration with them reflects our shared commitment to enriching our community through literacy and education.”

JOHNSTON, Iowa [KCCI] — A woman from central Iowa has died, less than one-week after a teenager at a youth facility allegedly shoved her, causing the woman to fall and hit her head, and resulting in severe brain damage. 50-year-old Kathleen Galloway-Menke, of Johnston, was being treated for her injuries at Iowa Methodist before her family took her off life support, Tuesday. Trever Hook, an attorney for the family, told KCCI Galloway-Menke was rushed to the hospital on May 8th following the incident.

Hook said Galloway-Menke, who worked at Ellipsis youth home, responded to a 15-year-old boy running away from the Ellipsis property. She and another male employee followed the boy at a safe distance, but the boy turned around and started sprinting toward them. “He had ran by the male employee, passed him to Kathleen and pushed her hard enough she fell and unfortunately hit her head on concrete,” Hook said.

Hook said following the boy was Ellipsis protocol. And now, after Galloway-Menke’s death, the family is considering legal action. “We do have reasonable concerns that Ellipsis do not take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of her and other female staff members in particular,” Hook said.

Hook said the boy threatened to kill Galloway-Menke prior to shoving her down. He also said he has two other workers’ compensation claims for Ellipsis employees that are pending right now. In one of them, a kid assaulted another person.

In a statement, Ellipsis said it is “profoundly saddened” and “deeply and personally” mourns this loss. The organization said it is making mental health services available to staff and to children and families in their care. It said, “Ellipsis remains committed to offering a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved, including our community.”

The Johnston Police Department said in a statement they are remaining engaged with the leadership and staff of Ellipsis, who are cooperating with the investigation. They also said the suspect involved in the incident remains in custody at a secure juvenile detention facility.

(Anita, Iowa) – Members of the CAM School District’s Board of Education met in a regular session Monday evening at the High School in Anita. Superintendent Paul Croghan told KJAN News the Board approves Contracts for the 2024-25 School Year. Croghan said thanks to new legislation and increase in teacher’s salaries, the District was able to provide its staff with a raise.

He says the overall, the dollar raises on hourly staff means a nine-percent package increase. In other business, the CAM School Board approved a bid from Rigid Edge Exteriors, for work on the high school gymnasium roof.

Insurance provided an $82,000 check to help pay for the repairs, which are expected to begin once school gets out for the current year. Mr. Croghan said also, the Board discussed the District’s property at 709 McIntyre Drive, in Anita.

The Board also continued discussion with regard to the District Facility Project.

Public hearings were held before the start of regular business, Monday, with regard to budget amendments for FY 2023-24, and the proposed 2024-25 certified budget. With regard to the budget amendment, Paul Croghan explained…

With graduation just a few days away, Mr. Croghan urged everyone to be safe and enjoy the celebrations.

Graduation for the CAM School District takes place this Sunday, May 19th, at 3-p.m.

y/Iowa Capital Dispatch)(Radio Iowa) – Drake University officials say a $28-million donation will cover the remaining cost of building a new student center on the Des Moines campus. It’s the largest single-donor gift in school history. The gift comes from Greg Johansen, who graduated from Drake in 1973 and founded Medicap, a company that operates nearly two dozen pharmacies in central Iowa. Johansen says the center will give student organizations a new home on campus.

“It’s been sort of catch as catch can for their meeting spaces and documents and the things that each organization needs to function,” Johansen says. “This is going to give that space and so hopefully that will help the organizations flourish.” The student center is under construction in a former residence hall. Drake President Marty Martin says the donation will allow Drake to complete the center debt-free, so it won’t affect the general budget.

Martin says the project includes space for student groups and an intercultural center. “It invigorates the life of our students, creates that central location that we’ve never really had where they can gather and do the things that really make a valuable contribution to their formation as Drake alumni,” Martin says.

Greg & Cie Johansen with the Drake women’s basketball team (Drake University photo)

Johansen’s gift will also support the Drake women’s basketball team and the installation of solar panels on a university building.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Several Iowa pharmacies have been cited by the state recently for dispensing incorrect medications, including one instance in which a patient might have died. The Hy-Vee Pharmacy located at 1501 First Ave. East in Newton, was recently charged by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy with dispensing the incorrect prescription to a customer.

The board alleges that on Jan. 14, 2024, the pharmacy mistakenly dispensed 30 milliliters of morphine concentrate to a patient with incorrect directions on the label, which the board says resulted “in a substantial overdose and possibly early death.” No other information on the case has been made public by the board. The board has imposed a $5,000 civil penalty against the pharmacy and ordered that the entire professional staff at the pharmacy undergo training on medication errors and patient safety.

The Hy-Vee Pharmacy located at 1501 First Ave. East in Newton was recently sanctioned by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy. (Photo via Google Earth)

Other cases recently addressed by the board include:

— A Hy-Vee Pharmacy at 2827 Hamilton Boulevard in Sioux City, which was charged with dispensing an  incorrect prescription to a customer. The board imposed a $2,000 civil penalty, and the entire professional staff was ordered to undergo training on medication errors and patient safety.

— A Hy-Vee Pharmacy at 351 NE Gateway Drive in Grimes, which was charged by the board with dispensing the incorrect prescription to a patient on May 29, 2023. The board imposed a $2,500 civil penalty and the entire professional staff was ordered to undergo training on medication errors and patient safety.

— A CVS Pharmacy at 14201 Hickman Road in Urbandale, which was charged by the board with dispensing the incorrect prescription to a customer. The board imposed a $5,000 civil penalty on the store.

— Monroe Community Pharmacy, located at 112 E Washington St. in Monroe, which was charged by the board with failing to reconcile its actual inventory of narcotics with its documented supply, failing to maintain complete and accurate pharmacy records, failing to have adequate policies in place with regard to narcotics, and failing to train pharmacy technicians at a telepharmacy site.

The board fined Monroe Community Pharmacy $3,500 and placed the pharmacy’s license on probation for three years. In addition, the board ordered that the pharmacy staff complete educational training on narcotic theft.

In a separate but related case, Douglas Niedermann, who was the Iowa-licensed pharmacist in charge at the Monroe pharmacy, was charged by the board with failing to audit and reconcile the inventory, and with failing to maintain complete and accurate pharmacy records. The board imposed a $500 civil penalty on Niedermann for the violations and ordered him to complete complete-education courses on controlled substances and theft of narcotics.

— A CVS Pharmacy at 3414 8^th St. SW in Altoona, which was charged by the board with failing to complete Drug Enforcement Agency records as to the loss of controlled substances, committing an act that would render its Controlled Substances Act registration “inconsistent with the public interest,” and with failing to submit a form to the DEA within 14 days of the theft or loss of controlled substances. The board imposed a civil penalty of $5,000 and placed the business’ pharmacy license and its Controlled Substances Act registration on probation for two years.

— DCA Pharmacy of Franklin, Tennessee, which was charged by the board with sending prescriptions into Iowa for two full years without an active Iowa license. Between January 2022 and January 2024, DCA PhIn addition, DCA was also accused of shipping compounded progesterone capsules into Iowa, despite its inability to show any of the required evidence of a clinically significant difference between the compounded medication and that which was available otherwise. The board imposed a $5,000 penalty against the company.

(Additional information can be found HERE)