BETTENDORF, Iowa - Feb. 6, 2014 - Genesis Health System announced today it will invest $15 million in the future of health care in the region at the new Genesis HealthPlex, Bettendorf.

The second Genesis HealthPlex - the first opened in November in Moline -- will give patients "one stop'' access to many health services. Genesis HealthPlex, Bettendorf is under construction at 2140 53rd Ave., Bettendorf. The HealthPlex is adjacent to ORA Orthopedics and the Genesis Center for Digestive Health.

Genesis Health Group President Richard Kishiue, M.D., said the new facility is recognition of the national trend to provide more health care services outside of a hospital setting.

"Like Genesis HealthPlex, Moline, the Genesis HealthPlex, Bettendorf will be able to provide virtually all of the health services now available at multiple sites, from primary care physicians, to radiology, laboratory, specialists and Genesis Convenient Care,'' Dr. Kishiue said.

The 43,140-square foot HealthPlex is under construction and will be open to patients late in 2014. Estes Construction of Davenport is the general contractor.

Genesis HealthPlex, Bettendorf is an IMPACT construction project using local skilled trades.

With a focus on providing care to more patients in the future, four graduates of the Genesis Quad Cities Family Medicine Residency Program will start their practices in the new facility.

"We understand the concerns about access to a primary care physician as thousands more residents of the region will have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and will develop a relationship with a physician,'' Dr. Kishiue added. "Genesis has been very aggressive in recruiting new primary care physicians and specialists and will continue to be aggressive in our recruiting to make sure the newly insured are able to establish a relationship with a primary care physician rather than using emergency departments as their gateway for health services.''

The four recent residency program graduates who will base their new practices at Genesis HealthPlex, Bettendorf are Stacie Salowitz, M.D., a University of Iowa medical school graduate; Sheena Harker, who received her undergraduate degrees at Augustana College and received her medical degree from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine; Catherine Schierbrock, M.D., a University of Iowa medical school graduate; and, Ryan Boone, M.D., who received his medical degree from Destiny University School of Medicine, St. Lucia.

Linda Jager, M.D., is a fifth graduate of the Genesis Quad Cities Family Medicine Residency Program who has already joined Genesis Health Group.

Chris Crome, M.D., and Kurt Andersen, M.D., will move their practices from other Genesis Health Group locations and will serve as mentors for the recent residency graduates. Genesis Convenient Care will be moving from Devils Glen in Bettendorf to the new location.

"The support of Genesis Health Group physicians is one of the reasons we've been able to develop this plan,'' Dr. Kishiue said. "Usually we would only be able to retain one or two of the new doctors from the residency program. Being able to recruit five in one year is unheard of for us.

"The collaborative approach of experienced doctors and new doctors emphasizes how important we believe it is for newly insured patients to have a health and wellness relationship with a primary care doctor.

"That is how the Affordable Care Act will work effectively and not only will the health of the region improve, care will be more efficient as services are consolidated at a single site.''

Genesis HealthPlex, Bettendorf will have a full-service lab, digital imaging, including MRI, CT, radiography, ultrasound and mammography. There will be space for 18 providers, 65 examination rooms, nine procedure rooms and two education rooms.

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DES MOINES - Today, AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding Polk County District Court Judge Scott D. Rosenberg's ruling and order on the plaintiffs' application for preliminary injunction and defendants' motion to dismiss in Homan et al. v. Branstad et al.:

"We are pleased that the court has sided with the plaintiffs by opening the Iowa Juvenile Home. Iowa's young girls are the real winners in this decision.

"For the sake of the safety of Iowa's children, the governor should immediately comply with this court order and reopen the Iowa Juvenile Home as instructed by the District Court."

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Senators Introduce Resolution Denouncing Obama Administration's Coercion of States with Common Core

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) will introduce a resolution strongly denouncing the Obama Administration's coercion of states into adopting Common Core State Standards by conferring preferences in federal grants and flexibility waivers.

The resolution is co-sponsored by Senators Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming).

"The Obama Administration has effectively bribed and coerced states into adopting Common Core," said Graham.  "Blanket education standards should not be a prerequisite for federal funding.  In order to have a competitive application for some federal grants and flexibility waivers, states have to adopt Common Core.  This is simply not the way the Obama Administration should be handling education policy. Our resolution affirms that education belongs in the hands of our parents, local officials and states."

"It is crucial that the money being spent on education in Oklahoma be controlled by Oklahomans who are familiar with the needs of our schools and students," said Inhofe. "This is why I am proud to join Senator Graham in introducing a resolution that enforces vital education practices of leaving the decisions of children's educational needs to the state and the parents.

"Educational decisions are best made by parents and teachers - not bureaucrats in Washington," said Scott.  "While Common Core started out as a state-led initiative, the federal government unfortunately decided to use carrots and sticks to coerce states into adopting national standards and assessments. That is simply the wrong choice for our kids."

"Common Core is another example of Washington trying to control all aspects of Americans' lives, including the education of our children," said Cruz.  "We should not allow the federal government to dictate what our children learn; rather, parents, through their teachers, local schools and state systems, should be able to direct the education of their children."

"Common Core has become polluted with Federal guidelines and mandates that interfere with the ability of parents, teachers and principals to deliver the education our children deserve," said Lee.  "Rather than increasing coercion, we should be demanding that further interference by the U.S. Department of Education with respect to state decisions on academic content standards be eliminated."

"Decisions about what content students should be taught have enormous consequences for children and so should be made as close as possible to the affected parents and students," said Grassley.  "Federal interference in this area disrupts the direct line of accountability between parents and those making decisions about their children's education.  It also takes away needed flexibility from state education leaders to make changes as they learn more about what works and what does not."

"This Administration favors a national school board approach to education and likes to ignore individual states' decisions," said Enzi. "It uses 'free' money as the carrot to dangle in front of the states. In effect it is trying to force states into accepting a one-size-fits-all approach. This coercion with Common Core is another example of the federal government trampling on states' rights and is the wrong approach to fixing our education system in this country."

The major provisions of the resolution affirm:

·         Education belongs in the hands of parents, local education officials, and states.

·         The federal government should not coerce states into adopting common education standards.

·         No future application process for any federal grant funds or waivers should award additional points, or provide any preference, for the adoption of Common Core.

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FACT SHEET

Purpose of the Resolution:

• Strongly denounces President Obama's coercion of states into adopting Common Core by conferring preferences in federal grants and flexibility waivers.
• Strongly supports the restoration and protection of state authority and flexibility in establishing and defining challenging student academic standards and assessments.

What the Resolution States:

• Education belongs in the hands of parents, local education officials, and states.
• The federal government should not coerce states into adopting common education standards.
• No application process for any federal grant funds or waivers should award additional points, or provide any preference, for the adoption of Common Core.
• The link between adoption of common education standards and federal funds will result in increased federal control over education.
• The resolution does not retract any federal funds or waivers already issued to states.
• The resolution does not evaluate the content of the Common Core standards already developed and adopted by states.

SUPPORTER STATEMENTS:

·         "HSLDA strongly opposes the Common Core, in large measure due to the federal government's use of tax dollars to coerce states into adopting the Common Core. HSLDA applauds Senator Graham for this powerful resolution pushing back against the notion that Washington, DC should use taxpayer dollars to pressure states into adopting specific education policy. Parents, teachers, and local school districts, not education bureaucrats in Washington, DC, should be in charge of the critical decisions of what, when, and how children learn. The success of homeschooling shows that greater freedom and less top-down control helps lead to academic success."

-- J. Michael Smith, Esq., President, Home School Legal Defense Association

·         "We appreciate Senator Graham's leadership in pushing back against Common Core.  For four years, the federal administration has flouted the rule of law and imposed tens of billions of dollars in mandates on states and localities.  These actions have earned opposition from across the political spectrum and across the country.  This Senate resolution marks the first important step taken in Congress to hold the Administration accountable and to preserve innovation in our states and localities."

-          Jim Stergios, Executive Director, Pioneer Institute

·         "Yet again, we see another attempt to weaken the power of the states by a federal power grab.  Look to the experts, those who actually teach and know our nations' kids; three-hundred prominent educators and policy-makers warn about Common Core discouraging innovation."

-- Penny Nance, CEO & President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee

·         "Common Core is doing for education what ObamaCare is doing for health care."

-- Director of Beverly LaHaye Institute (BLI), Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse

ADDITIONAL SUPPORTERS:

American Association of Christian Schools

Family Research Council

Eagle Forum

American Principles Project

(February 5, 2014; Cedar Falls, Iowa) A new report from ACT provides valuable information to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education policy and programming leaders regarding the intentions of students to pursue STEM studies and careers. Of Iowa's 22,377 ACT test-takers in 2013 (66% of all high school graduates), almost half (49%) have an interest in a STEM major or occupation, an increase of 2.2% since 2009. But translating interest into the reality of a STEM degree presents Iowans with a great challenge.

The ACT national and state reports, The Condition of STEM, examine the expressed and measured interests of high school graduates in the class of 2013 who took the ACT college readiness exam. Expressed interest is when students say they intend to pursue a particular major or occupation. Measured interest, in contrast, is derived from students' responses to the ACT Interest Inventory, a battery of questions that measures preferences for different types of work tasks.

"The Condition of STEM report revealed that positive progress is being made in Iowa, especially when compared to similar states.  Having a successful STEM strategy in Iowa is critical for helping young Iowans understand the breadth of opportunities that await them following graduation," said Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds who co-chairs the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. "Governor Branstad and I, along with the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, are committed to offering a quality, innovative education in our schools ensuring Iowa students are fully prepared for the careers of tomorrow."

Of Iowa's 11,041 STEM-interested graduates, 4,153 had both expressed and measured interest in STEM, which places Iowa in the top ten states of comparable test-taking populations for STEM interest. By gender and ethnicity though, Iowa has an opportunity to gain ground. Female interest in STEM is slightly lower than male at 46.2% though gain in interest since 2009 outpaces male gains 2.8% to 1.5%. Interest among African-American is at 42.6% and for Native Americans 40.4% - both slight declines since 2009. For Hispanic students interest has remained comparable to that of whites at 48.8%.

"Iowa's workforce solutions depend on an inspired pipeline of home-grown talent," said Vermeer CEO and STEM Council co-chair Mary Andringa. "This ACT report is a valuable snapshot but even more priceless a longitudinal indicator for Iowa moving forward. Every young Iowa, regardless of geography, demography, ethnicity, or economy, deserves a top-quality STEM education leading to fulfilling careers and high quality lives right here within our borders."

A number of national reports have pointed to a need for more STEM workers. A recent report from the Bayer Corporation's Facts of Science Education survey suggests Fortune 1000 companies are struggling to fill STEM positions due to a shortage of qualified candidates. The STEM job outlook is strong, and STEM occupations tend to be high-paying, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the recently released U.S. News 100 Best Jobs of 2014, more than half of the top 50 jobs are STEM-related. Iowa's Workforce Development office projects STEM occupations to be high wage and high growth for the foreseeable future.

"ACT has delivered another great product to education leaders across the country. This report is an unprecedented window into the intentions and probabilities of our graduates" said Jeff Weld, executive director of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. "Aligned as they may or may not be, the expressed and measured interest of STEM prospects to post-secondary study is a unique and vital indicator that every state (and the nation as a whole) needs to track if we are to deliver the STEM promise to our youth."

The Condition of STEM reports for the nation and for each state can be accessed for free on ACT's website at: www.act.org/stemcondition. 

About the Governor's STEM Advisory Council: Formed in 2011, the Council is a 46-member, public-private partnership dedicated to building a strong STEM education foundation for all Iowans. For more information, go to IowaSTEM.gov.