Chronicling the improvements that have been made to Iowans' health since taking office, Lt. Gov. Patty Judge made a stop in Marshalltown Monday.
Accompanying her to Marshalltown was the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, Tom Newton. Before introducing Judge, Newton said the state has gone through some difficult times, especially in the public health area.
"This has been a tough year in public health," he said. "We've felt it at the state level and we've felt it at the local level."
However, he said when the state experiences those tough times, it is helpful to have a former nurse, which Judge is, helping advocate for the services so many Iowans need.
Judge said that many times, the debate and attention on public health has simply to do with insurance matters, but that is not the right approach.
"I believe very strongly that when we talk about health, we should be talking about our whole bodies," she said.
Insurance may be a great thing to have when you become sick or unhealthy, but she said the key is to provide those programs that help people from becoming that way in the first place.
For example, she noted the state has increased the tobacco tax by $1 per pack on cigarettes. That has led to 79,000 Iowans quitting smoking and reduced consumption by more than 50 percent, Judge said.
She also said the state has served as a model for wellness in the Culver/Judge 100-day Wellness Challenge. Through that challenge, Judge said she and many others have lost weight.
She is also pleased with the push the state made to rid schools of "junk food" items that help to promote childhood obesity.
Regarding medical records, Iowa is moving to an electronic system which will serve as a model for the rest of the nation, Judge said.
"I am proud of the steps we have taken here in Iowa," she said. "We will be one of the first states in the nation to have a statewide health information system."
But she also noted in addition to these points that insurance is an important factor in healthy living and should not be ignored.
"Most importantly, we have taken great steps to allow children access to affordable, quality health care," Judge said. "We have reached our goal of virtually covering every child in the state with health insurance."
Judge also noted that new regulatory controls are in place for insurance companies who want to increase rates. Now, Iowans should have more advanced warning of rate increases and also know the exact reasons why a rate increase is being proposed.
"The bottom line is the governor and I are going to continue on trying to give Iowans that long and healthy life," Judge said.
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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com
