MONDAY, JAN. 23, 2017  |  IN THIS ISSUE
A dental clinic will open March 1 next to the Eastern Iowa Health Center's recently renovated main clinic on Third Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids. Photo/Adam Moore
The Eastern Iowa Health Center (EIHC) is in the midst of an ambitious expansion as the nonprofit aims to expand its services to more low-income, at-risk patients.

The organization is preparing to open new dental and urgent care clinics just months after opening a new women's health center on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids, EIHC President and CEO Joe Lock told attendees at today's Cedar Rapids Downtown Rotary meeting.  

The Eastern Iowa Women's Health Center opened at the start of January at the former UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Family Health Center at 4251 River Center Court NE. The new space doubled the number of women's exam rooms available to staff, from 10 to 20, and will offer additional services under Title X, the federal grant program designated for family planning services, Mr. Lock said in an interview.

The new dental center, located next to the organization's main clinic on Third Avenue SE, will open March 1, and offer dental services on a sliding scale.  The nonprofit has already hired a staff of two dentists and four hygienists, Mr. Lock said, and is expecting to serve more than 22,000 patients in its first three years - an estimate he described as "conservative."

The new urgent care clinic is set to open April 1, and will offer more immediate treatment options to Medicaid and uninsured patients in the community who have been unable to make traditional appointments, whether due to high demand or transportation difficulties. Mr. Lock noted that roughly one-third of EIHC miss their appointments due to transportation or other life issues.

"We still have 500-plus patients on a waiting list that we can't access," he said in response to questions about the need for an urgent care clinic.

The organization just last fall wrapped a $2 million renovation to its main clinic on Third Avenue, which converted office space into more clinic space, and increased the number of ADA-accessible exam rooms by 80 percent.
 Ralph Neppel
The Iowa City VA will honor the life and contribution of Ralph G. Neppel, a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, with a ceremony Jan. 27 at the Iowa City VA main facility. Mr. Neppel died of cancer on Jan. 27, 1987.

Mr. Neppel was born Oct. 31, 1923, in Willey, Iowa. He returned to Iowa after his tour in WWII and spent 22 years working at the Iowa City VA.

He joined the army in March 1943, and the following December he was fighting as a sergeant and a leader of his machine gun squad near Birgel, Germany. On Dec. 17, 1944, his company position was attacked by a Nazi tank supported by infantry. A single shell from the German panzer wounded his entire squad and severed his left leg below the knee.

Risking his own life and safety, and suffering his wounds, Mr. Neppel dragged himself back to his machine gun position, eliminated the infantry support for the tank division and forced a withdrawal of the tank. He was awarded the Medal of Honor nine months later by President Harry S. Truman.

Mr. Neppel retired later from the Iowa City VA, and in 1988, the new Primary Care edition at the Iowa City VA was dedicated to him. A tour of that space, including the commemorative wall that bears his likeness and name, will be conducted for guests after the Jan. 27 ceremony. Director Judith Johnson-Mekota will give remarks and present a commemorative plaque to the Neppel family.
 
Mercy Medical Center's Hall-Perrine Cancer Center is hosting a free, pre-prom skin cancer awareness event from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 29. The event is aimed at keeping young people out of the sun and away from tanning booths, especially as prom season nears.

This pre-prom event will include hair, makeup and sunless tanning tips from industry experts, as well as a fashion show highlighting the latest dress styles. Participants may also browse and shop at a vendor fair and register to win an Apple Watch, iPad Mini and gift cards.  Additionally, a local skin cancer survivor will share her story about the dangers of sun exposure and tanning. Vincent Reid,medical director of Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, will provide skin cancer education.

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Melanoma, a more dangerous type of skin cancer, accounts for about 10,000 skin cancer deaths each year, including more than 76,000 new cases in 2016.  Indoor tanning, just like outdoor sun tanning, exposes skin to ultraviolet (UV) rays, the cause of most skin cancers.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who begin tanning during adolescence or early adulthood have a higher risk of melanoma.


To register for this pre-prom event at the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, call (319) 861-7998; text (319) 551-1050; or email: larens@mercycare.org.    
Head4KemPharm sees positive data from clinical study of product

KemPharm, a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company based in Coralville, has received encouraging news from an early study designed to assess the company's abuse-resistant form of the painkiller hydromorphone.
 
The company in a press release reported that a clinical study of its investigational prodrug, KP511, demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in peak and overall hydromorphone exposure compared to equivalent doses of hydromorphone hydrochloride (HM), commonly sold as Dilaudid or Palladone. That resulted in meaningfully lower scores in exploratory measures of "Drug Liking," "Feeling High," "Overall Drug Liking" and "Take Drug Again," when compared to HM, the company said.
 
KemPharm's molecular engineering approach, known as Ligand Activated Therapy, allows it to create prodrugs that metabolize only when exposed to digestive enzymes in the small intestine. That discourages abusers from snorting or injecting the drug, because they will not experience the "high" associated with the powerful opioid.
 
If further studies confirm that KP511 provides meaningful differences in intranasal abuse potential, the company may seek to develop both immediate-release and extended-release versions of the drug, the company said in a statement. KP511 will undergo more study in the next two years, potentially leading to two New Drug Applications (NDAs) being submitted as early as 2019 with a request for expedited review.
 
"Based on our estimates, in 2015, the combined ER and IR market for hydromorphone was more than $280 million, with over 3.2 million scripts written in that year," President and CEO Travis Mickle said. "A market this large requires products with effective abuse deterrence."
 
KemPharm in December also received "Fast Track" designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its NDA for KP201/IR, an immediate-release, abuse-deterrent prodrug of hydrocodone. The company expects human clinical trials to begin for that prodrug in the first half of this year.
New Pioneer Food Co-op is hosting a Whole Body Health Fair free to the public from 11 a.m.-2 p.m Jan. 28 at New Pi Cedar Rapids, 3338 Center Point Road NE.

The event will feature free health classes, demos, raffles, sales and samples, with special guests including some of the local food producers the co-op works with year-round, and speakers Terry Wahls and Jason Bradley. The health classes are free and no registration is needed.

At 11 a.m., Dr. Wahls, best-selling author, allopathic physician and clinical researcher studying diet and health, will discuss how radical healing is possible by returning to cooking good, wholesome food structured specifically for cells.

At p.m., Dr. Bradley will present "Good Bugs and Their EPIC Environment" on the role beneficial bacteria play in our overall health and wellness.
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NAME SYM PRICE CHG %CHG
AEGON AEG 5.33 -0.05 -0.93%
Alliant Energy  LNT 37.03 -0.33 -0.88%
Deere & Company DE 107.12 0.38 0.36%
Dow Jones ^DJI 19,799.85 -27.4 -0.14%
General Mills GIS 62.12 -0.3 -0.48%
GoDaddy Inc. GDDY 34.95 -0.25 -0.71%
Great Western Bank GWB 42.15 -0.3 -0.71%
Heartland Express HTLD 19.81 -0.23 -1.15%
KemPharm KMPH 3.3 0.05 1.54%
Marsh & McLennan MMC 67.56 -0.09 -0.13%
MidWestOne  MOFG 35.75 0.06 0.17%
Pearson PSO 7.39 0.16 2.21%
Pepsico PEP 104.01 0.77 0.75%
Principal Financial  PFG 57.74 -0.5 -0.86%
QCR Holdings QCRH 41.55 -0.55 -1.31%
Rockwell Collins  COL 90.71 -0.69 -0.75%
S&P 500 ^GSPC 2,265.20 -6.11 -0.27%
Tanger Factory  SKT 35.07 0.32 0.92%
Procter & Gamble  PG 86.96 -0.49 -0.56%
United Fire Group UFCS 46.24 -0.63 -1.34%
U.S. Bank USB 50.97 -0.23 -0.45%
Wells Fargo  WFC 54.25 -0.82 -1.49%
West Bank WTBA 23.75 0.05 0.21%
Whirlpool  WHR 186.99 1.37 0.74%
Short-Term Event Planner
     
Jan. 24
CLUB  Mindset Mastermind, by ActionCOACH Heartland, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 230 Second Ave. SE, Ste. 218, Cedar Rapids. This event, led by David Drewelow, will feature a John Maxwell video book study of "The Power of One-Business Ethics." Guests are welcome to join the networking and group discussion. Free. Register online at bit.ly/2jYeV09.

Ribbon Cutting - MercyCare Prairie Creek, by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and Marion Chamber, 3 p.m., MercyCare - Prairie Creek, 777 76th Ave. Drive SW, Cedar Rapids. All are invited to help celebrate. Free. For more information, call (319) 398-5317.
 
Jan. 25
Trade Missions - How and Why, by the International Traders of Iowa, 7-8:15 a.m., Physicians' Clinic of Iowa Community Room, 202 10th St. SE, Cedar Rapids. This event, for both those new to trade or who have been working in the industry for years, will show the importance of trade missions in international strategy. Cost: $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers, includes breakfast. Register online at  bit.ly/2jY3QfE.
 
Crop Advantage Series, by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Clarion Hotel Highlander Conference Center, 2525 N. Dodge St., Iowa City. This event will provide farmers, crop consultants and agribusinesses with current research from Iowa State University and updated management information and recommendations based on current and future crop production issues. Cost: $50 before Jan. 18, $60 after and at the door. Register online at  bit.ly/2iLDgT2.
 
1 Million Cups: Iowa Startup Accelerator, by 1 Million Cups, 9-10 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Local entrepreneurs will give a six-minute presentation to mentors, advisors and other entrepreneurs for feedback. Free. For more information, visit  bit.ly/2iwg7TV.

Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  

An Iowa man and woman accused of starving and torturing their 16-year-old daughter have pleaded not guilty in her October death. Nicole Finn and Joseph Finn Jr., of West Des Moines, are charged with kidnapping, two counts of child endangerment and one of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person. Nicole Finn also is charged with first-degree murder. Some of the counts involve at least two other children. The Finns entered their pleas today and their trial is set to begin March 27. A medical examiner found that Natalie Finn, 16, died from denial of critical care. Prosecutors say in court documents that the girl was starved and tortured by her parents.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails'  Weather First Forecast
 
Clouds will stick around and temperatures will be mild by January standards to start the week. It will remain mostly cloudy today and temperatures will rise into the mid- to upper 30s. Things start to change on Tuesday as our next storm moves in.