Iowa has fallen to the bottom rating on a national report gauging the preparedness of all 50 states for public health emergencies, from disease outbreaks to natural disasters. Dara Lieberman, director of government relations at the non-profit Trust for America’s Health, says Iowa is among 13 states in the lowest tier, falling from the middle tier last year. Of the ten main indicators the report uses, Iowa cut its state public health funding, fell below average on patient safety, and none of Iowa’s acute care hospitals achieved an “A” safety rating. Lieberman says Iowans should take the bottom-level ranking as a call to action and contact their legislators at the state and federal level, letting them know how important it is to fund public health.
