Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and Web.

Iowa News

Flood victims continue to struggle with losses, emotional toll
“Many people feel like they should be over it two years later,” says Cindy Kaestner, executive director of the Abbe Center for Community Mental Health in Cedar Rapids, “but it’s not uncommon for folks to react several years after the event.” Disasters like the flood affect everyone differently, Kaestner says. Some people may have trouble sleeping or eating or suffer from depression. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

Urbandale girl’s garage sale will benefit hospital
An 11-year-old girl in Urbandale will sell clothes, an entertainment center and more on Saturday to raise money for Blank Children’s Hospital. Sarah Miller of Urbandale said she will donate all of the proceeds from her garage sale to the hospital because she wants to help sick children. (Des Moines Register)

U.S. News

Nurses’ strike ends in Twin Cities
Twin Cities nurses put down their rain-soaked picket signs and headed back to work this morning. But there continued to be confusion about how quickly nurses could resume their jobs. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Hospitals say planning paid off during historic nursing strike
“The months of planning for something we hoped would never happen have paid off,” said Dr. Penny Wheeler, chief clinical officer for Allina Hospitals & Clinics, at a press conference regarding the hospitals’ strike operations. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Sanford eyes Oregon, Ireland
Sanford Health will build children’s clinics in Oregon and Ireland and switch to a shorter corporate name as it opens a new era that officials christened Wednesday. The growth will give Sanford a total of five children’s clinics outside this region as the Sioux Falls-based network tries to establish itself as a national and international force in health care. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

Medicare drug spending varies widely across U.S.
“Our findings reinforce the importance of understanding the drivers of geographic variation, since increases in medical spending or pharmaceutical spending do not appear to be associated with offsetting savings in the other realms,” said lead researcher Yuting Zhang, an assistant professor of health economics at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. (Health Day/Bloomberg/BusinessWeek)

Bringing comparison shopping to the doctor’s office
Even if a patient does want to comparison-shop, there is no easy way to obtain complete and useful information. It is a hole in the market that some companies see as an opportunity, especially because many Americans will soon have to pay more attention to what they are paying for, rather than count on insurance to cover everything. (New York Times)

28% of hospitals renovated last year to accommodate the obese
Hospitals have renovated facilities and purchased specialized medical products ranging from blood pressure cuffs to commodes to post-mortem bags to handle their largest patients, a survey shows. (Wall Street Journal)

State asks to oversee 3 insurers
Massachusetts officials said they sent letters to three health insurers earlier this year asking them to accept more intense oversight and supply additional data because of concerns about their financial health. (Boston Globe)