More than 1 in 3 companies plan major resiliency investments over next year Matthew Lamons’ tiny hometown in the Midwest had no more than 250 residents, yet over the past three decades these small towns went from “being in the middle of nowhere to being in the middle of everywhere” due to technology. Or at […]
Nearly 1,600 fewer Iowans filed initial claims for unemployment benefits last week, and continuing claims decreased by 6.7% to 58,744 claims, according to a weekly update provided by Iowa Workforce Development. Unemployed Iowans filed 5,018 initial claims during the week of Sept. 20. The number of continuing weekly unemployment claims for Sept. 20-26 declined by […]
College freezes hiring, cuts operating budgets and other expenses Iowa’s community colleges are cinching up their budgets this fall as they seek to weather sharp declines in student enrollment caused by the pandemic. The state’s largest community college, Des Moines Area Community College, is facing a nearly 7% decline in enrollment this fall. It’s the […]
How will Iowa workers’ compensation cases play out in instances where employees have contracted COVID-19 and file a claim for coverage? That question will likely remain hanging in legal limbo for months while civil cases are tried in the courts, says a West Des Moines attorney who specializes in representing businesses in workers’ comp issues. […]
Properly done, employer-led testing for coronavirus is not only a good way for organizations to protect their employees’ health, but also can be an “incredibly cost-effective tool” for expanding testing into the community, says the leader of an emerging test initiative developed by Eurofins USA. The adoption of widespread “sentinel” testing for the presence of […]
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center announced today it has received $945,590 in federal funding to expand its rural telehealth services in Central Iowa. The Federal Communication Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau awarded the funding as part of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which is aimed at assisting hospitals in extending remote care during the pandemic. MercyOne plans to use […]
West Des Moines-based ITA Group Inc. announced it has partnered with environmental health testing company Eurofins USA, which is based in Des Moines, to offer health risk mitigation services for in-person corporate events throughout the United States. The corporate events and engagement company sought out this partnership to allow its clients the ability to conduct […]
The leader of the Iowa State Education Association today criticized the state’s education and health officials for not offering more definitive guidance for school districts in developing their Return to Learn plans for safely restarting in-person classes in the fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “What is really needed now is definitive leadership and guidance,” said […]
For many reasons, returning to the office will look different, feel different and will be communicated differently across many Central Iowa organizations in the coming weeks and months. Navigating the people-related and legal-oriented challenges surrounding the hidden hazards of what had once been the safest of work environments will require fresh thinking and flexibility from […]
Retailers, restaurants, barbers and salons get green light to reopen; Polk and city officials urge caution Polk County residents got some good news with a healthy dose of caution today as Iowa’s governor announced the planned reopening of restaurants and retail shops at 50% capacity. Meanwhile, Polk County officials are strongly cautioning residents to continue […]
UnityPoint Health announced today it has expanded COVID-19 testing to include asymptomatic patients admitted to its hospitals. The expanded testing, which began on May 6, includes planned admissions and transfers of all ages who have not been tested for COVID-19 in the prior 72 hours, the health system said in a press release. UnityPoint Health […]
The owners of several popular Central Iowa restaurants recently filed suit against their insurance companies, claiming that their business interruption insurance claims were wrongfully denied amid the ongoing state-mandated COVID-19 shutdown. Gerleman Management Inc., whose restaurant businesses include Splash Seafood Bar & Grill and the Jethro’s barbecue restaurants, claims that its property and casualty insurer, […]
The aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were the first time in recent U.S. history that workplaces were forced to quickly adapt to a new reality and ground rules for keeping employees safe from an outside threat. Now, as organizations begin to consider how they will transition their workers back into the […]
The Iowa Credit Union League Foundation has raised just over $688,000 from businesses and individuals for its statewide Emergency Relief Fund, the organization announced. Of that amount, the foundation has distributed an initial 1,000 direct-relief cash grants of $500 each to families or small business owners who are experiencing financial hardship. About 10% of the […]
More than $25 million to be given globally through programs, customer concessions Des Moines-based Principal Financial Group and the Principal Foundation today launched two major community-based initiatives, which are estimated to have a $25 million impact on Greater Des Moines as well as communities worldwide in which Principal does business. The two new programs – […]
Business leaders from organizations of all sizes would do well to renew their commitment to keenly listening to both their employees and their customers as they work through disruptions tied to COVID-19. The critical nature of communicating well during the crisis was among the themes that emerged from an hourlong virtual panel discussion last week […]
Two Iowa manufacturers have teamed up to develop a face shield for front-line health care workers, and began shipping out the products this week. The Dimensional Group in Mason City, in conjunction with Angstrom Precision Molding Inc. in Ottumwa, began collaborating on the project just a week ago with the assistance of Iowa State University’s […]
Supply chain backlogs, tariff costs are big concerns for owner An Iowa-based patient-care technology company that manufactures remote medical monitoring systems for the U.S. military and emergency responders is now working to put its equipment into action to help patients in New York and other hot spots of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company’s production […]
Over the past several weeks, organizations of all sizes have dealt with unparalleled changes (and journalists have reached for their thesaurus to find new synonyms for “unprecedented”). Standing in the breach of the turmoil are the chief people officers who are helping to steer their organizations through uncharted waters. Four human resources experts that we gathered […]
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it had issued an Emergency Use Authorization that allows for the emergency use by hospitals to modify anesthesia gas machines and other positive pressure breathing devices to use as ventilators. I emailed representatives of the Polk County Health Department, Broadlawns Medical Center, UnityPoint Health and MercyOne […]
Big Green Umbrella Media Inc., the Johnston-based publisher of Cityview and Iowa Living magazines, announced today that those publications will “go dark” and suspend publishing for the next six weeks. In a message addressed to readers and advertisers, Big Green Umbrella President and Publisher Shane Goodman said the company currently faces “more questions than answers.” […]
Foundation launches $500,000 relief grant fund for health nonprofits. Delta Dental of Iowa and the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation today announced two relief programs to offer Iowa dentists and nonprofits financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. Delta Dental of Iowa, whose network includes 94% of Iowa’s dentists, has allocated more than $10 million for […]
Delta Dental of Iowa and the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation today announced two relief programs to offer Iowa dentists and nonprofits financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. Delta Dental of Iowa, whose network includes 94% of Iowa’s dentists, has allocated more than $10 million for a new Advance Claims Payment Program, which will provide […]
The effects of social distancing were reflected in a significant drop-off in activity last week at Des Moines International Airport. Compared with the same week a year ago, passenger volume was down nearly 80% last week, said Kayla Kovarna, communications, marketing and air service development manager for the airport. “As more people begin practicing social […]
Clarification: Currently, no business continuity insurance policies provide coverage for business disruptions due to pandemics, said Greg LaMair, president and CEO of LMC Insurance & Risk Management. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that businesses could add pandemic coverage to their policies. Most Iowa companies will likely discover that their business continuity insurance […]
Beginning next week, hospitality operators in Iowa will be able to apply for a financial relief tax deferral and grant program that the association is coordinating through the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Department of Revenue. Owners applying for assistance will have the option to check a box that allows for the deferral […]
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced late Thursday that it will temporarily reimburse health care providers that provide services through telehealth — including mental health counselors — at the same rate as office visits. The Des Moines-based health insurance company has for a number of years been reimbursing providers for telehealth behavioral services at 75% […]
Since March 8, United Way of Central Iowa’s 211 call center has been operating as the statewide Coronavirus Hotline. In just the past 10 days, the call center has handled more than 4,000 telephone calls directing Iowans to information about COVID-19 testing. “The volume has been much higher than expected,” said Elisabeth Buck, president of […]
With the public health disaster order issued by Gov. Kim Reynolds today, the Iowa Department of Public Health is authorized to begin mobilizing “as many public health response teams as are necessary to supplement and support disrupted or overburdened local medical and public health personnel, hospitals, and resources” as allowed under state statutes. Under the […]
The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines today announced it has activated a new Disaster Recovery Fund that will be used to support communities that are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 emergency. The DRF was created in partnership with disaster response and philanthropic organizations in Greater Des Moines to develop a collective strategy for charitable […]
The Greater Des Moines Partnership released information late Friday afternoon on its response to the coronavirus emergency, including an updated list of events that will be either moved online, postponed or canceled. Among the largest events that will be canceled this month is the Des Moines Book Festival, which was scheduled March 28. “While we’re […]
Barbara Stinson, who joined the World Food Prize as its new president in January, said that in response to the coronavirus pandemic, her organization has canceled all travel for its staff for the remainder of March. Its Youth Institutes are for the most part being rescheduled or reprogrammed, but are not being canceled, she said. “We’re […]