Michaela Ramm

1 week ago | desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Michaela Ramm

Iowa has submitted a waiver request to the federal government asking for permission to implement work requirements for about 171,000 residents on the state's Medicaid expansion program. If the federal government grants the request, the state estimates about 100,000 Iowans who don't currently qualify as working would need to fulfill work requirements or risk losing their coverage.

1 week ago | desmoinesregister.com | Michaela Ramm

Health officials are preparing for a potential outbreak in Iowa due to the disease's contagious nature and the state's vaccination rates. Iowa's MMR vaccination rates are below herd immunity levels, increasing vulnerability to outbreaks. Health experts emphasize the MMR vaccine's effectiveness and safety, debunking claims made by anti-vaccine groups. As measles cases continue to rise nationwide, local health officials are taking steps to prepare their response to the disease.

1 week ago | desmoinesregister.com | Michaela Ramm

The family of a deceased nurse is suing the state-managed Woodward Resource Center, saying she took her own life after she was fired from her job for reporting the abuse of a resident. The lawsuit was filed in Polk County District Court by the family of Shannon Billheimer, an Adair resident who died in April 2023, against Woodward Resource Center and Maxim Healthcare Services, a Maryland-based medical staffing company.

2 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Michaela Ramm

As she sought help from Des Moines' health care system to become pregnant, Laura Federico became increasingly frustrated with the lack of knowledge on how to understand her own body. Now, years later, she has published a book in an effort to help other women overcome the same challenge. In January, Federico and co-author Morgan Miller published "The Cycle Book," a guide for readers on monitoring and tracking their menstrual cycles.

2 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Michaela Ramm

Nina Richtman was desperate. Over the summer, the 43-year-old Des Moines mother had exhausted every avenue to find her teenage son the mental health care he badly needed as his behavior spiraled to alarming and dangerous levels. The breaking point came as he began starting fires in their home, and Richtman couldn't keep him from smuggling in more materials to burn. Faced with impossible choices, Richtman said she chose “the best of bad options.” She gave up custody of her son to the state.