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Estherville
parade
I’ll be participating in the Sweet Corn Days parade at 10:30 a.m. in Estherville on Saturday. If you can’t attend, the parade can be seen
live on Channel 3. For more details,
go to www.estherville.org/sweet_corn_days.htm.
On July 15, Heritage Nursing Home in Bancroft was selected
to receive the 2008 Governor’s Award for Quality Care in Health Care
Facilities. The award recognizes long-term
care providers that offer the highest quality of care to their residents.
Heritage Nursing Home, a 30-bed nursing facility, was
selected for its exceptional nursing care and uplifting activities and
special events, such as armchair travel sessions, interaction with local
school children, and a community Fourth of July celebration.
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Senator Jack Kibbie was recently recognized for his commitment to
speaking up on behalf of elderly Iowans and for his passion for ensuring
quality long-term care.
The honor was presented at a Washington, D.C.,
event by the Iowa Health Care Association and American Health Care
Association. Pictured (from left): Steve Ackerson, Iowa Health Care
Association Executive Director; Doug Johnson, Iowa Health Care Association
Board President; Kibbie; and Rick Miller, American Health Care Association
Chair.
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Download photos at www.iowasenatedemocrats.org/kibbie/photos.
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Iowa is a kid-friendly state
Iowa
consistently ranks in the top 10 when it comes to the well-being of our
children.
According to the annual Kids Count ranking of the states,
we’re at number 8 this year (www.kidscount.org). Congratulations to Iowa’s parents, teachers and caregivers
who work hard to improve the lives of our next generation.
In the Iowa Senate, we’ve taken several big steps forward
to improve the quality of life for our children and grandchildren. Here’s what we did recently for preschool
opportunities and children’s health care.
Early learning opportunities help kids enter school ready
to learn, support strong families and help our state develop a high-quality
workforce.
That’s why I’ve worked in the Senate to launch a four-year
effort to expand access to high-quality preschool to all Iowa families who want it. This is especially important because Iowa leads the nation
in the percentage of two-parent families in which both parents work.
Each child who takes advantage of our new preschool
initiative receives a minimum of 10 hours per week of class time with a
qualified preschool teacher, funded by state and federal dollars. This voluntary effort seeks to improve all
private and public preschools, while using Iowa’s existing K-12 system to manage
budgeting, personnel and facilities.
When this initiative began two years ago, only 30 percent
of all Iowa
families had access to high-quality preschools. Our program will allow an additional 28,000
boys and girls—mostly from middle-class families—to benefit from great preschool
experiences.
Iowa families want the
best start for their kids because the benefits are obvious when they begin kindergarten
and continue as they move toward graduation and into the workforce. To learn more, visit www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/940/1016.
During 2008, my support for health care reform produced
some welcome results, making Iowa
a national leader in this area.
AARP Iowa stated in a recent newsletter that “the state’s
health care reform legislation is already being touted as a historic
achievement that may serve as a model for other states as they tackle issues
of health care access and affordability.”
Our reforms begin with a special focus on providing access
to affordable health care for all Iowa
kids within three years.
This effort is already ensuring that children in the
poorest Iowa
families receive quality, affordable health care over the long term. This is an important step toward covering
the more than 50,000 uninsured children in Iowa whose health may suffer if they can’t
see a doctor, including:
- Babies
who are born underweight because their mother didn’t have access to
pre-natal care. Did you know the
number of low-birth-weight babies in Iowa rose by 18 percent between 2000
and 2005?
- Toddlers
who don’t get immunized because their parents can’t afford health
insurance. About 14 percent of Iowa
children live in poverty.
- Teenagers
who are obese and in need of professional help
to treat their condition. More
than 40 percent of Iowa
kids are overweight, which puts them at higher risk for long-term health
problems.
Beginning next July, Medicaid and Hawk-I will be expanded
to cover more children in working families and will provide children’s health
insurance for free or at a reduced cost.
And we’re taking these steps at relatively little
expense. According to Health Leaders
magazine, “Iowa’s
program leverages federal dollars with state revenue and avoids the
administrative costs of creating a new program.”
Here’s the real bottom line: We can reduce current and
future costs through a preventive approach to children’s health care.
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