MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020  |  IN THIS ISSUE
Para1 Clinics dedicated for respiratory illnesses open in Corridor
Several clinics in the Corridor have been established to care for patients with respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. Designating clinics for respiratory illness allows health care providers to continue regular clinic availability at other locations and help conserve important protective equipment. 

Mercy Medical Center has established a respiratory illness-only site at MercyCare Hiawatha Urgent Care. Primary care and urgent care patients needing appointments or testing for respiratory illness - such as a cough, difficulty breathing, fever and runny nose - will be directed by their medical provider to the clinic which is open 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The clinic is available for patients with a referral only and not walk-in appointments. Patients should still work through their primary care provider or an urgent care clinic for an initial video visit or assessment over the phone to determine the next steps for their care. Patients with severe illness or more complex cases should seek care at Mercy's Emergency Department at (319) 398-6037.

Ancillary services such imaging and testing for COVID-19 are available at the new respiratory illness-only clinic. COVID-19 testing will be conducted with a physician order and in accordance with Iowa Department of Public Health guidelines.

Patients who seek care for non-respiratory symptoms at the MercyCare Hiawatha Urgent Care will instead be directed to nearby MercyCare North Urgent Care.
 
Patients who do not have a primary care provider should call Mercy's Find-A-Doc line at (319) 369-4444 or go online to schedule an urgent care video visit.

UnityPoint Clinic Westside Urgent Care has also been dedicated as a respiratory illness clinic. When a patient calls any UnityPoint clinic in the Cedar Rapids area with symptoms that include fever, cough and difficulty breathing, they will be screened over the phone, and then be advised on next steps. This could include an appointment at the respiratory illness clinic, a telephonic primary care provider visit, or as appropriate, symptom management at home. 

People who do not have a primary care provider can call (319) 730-9532 for screening and advice on next steps.
 
Until further notice, Westside Urgent Care will only be seeing scheduled patients with respiratory illness. UnityPoint Clinic Hiawatha Urgent Care is closed as the providers and staff are now working at the respiratory illness clinic.  UnityPoint Clinic Internal Medicine at Hiawatha remains open.
 
UnityPoint Clinic Urgent Care Marion and UnityPoint Clinic Express in Hiawatha remain open for patients with no respiratory illness.
Tanager Place, a 140-year children's mental health care nonprofit in Cedar Rapids, is expanding to better serve community needs during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 
 
"We know people of all ages are feeling the pressure of this new environment, and that our organization has the ability to step up and help," Tonya Hotchkin, vice president of clinical services, stated in a press release.
 
During the national crisis, Tanager Place therapists are accepting new clients of all ages while offering individual, family and group therapy as well as mental health assessments via teletherapy. Connecting with existing and new clients via computer, tablets and smartphones follows local, state and national efforts to protect public safety, and allows community members to access needed services. 
 
CEO Okpara Rice said he is grateful for the technology, which helps community members continue to access the health care they need - perhaps now more than ever. 
 
"We understood people living in rural areas were having difficulty accessing the services they needed, and had already begun to address these geographic disparities through teletherapy," Mr. Rice stated. "Even so, ramping up to meet the increasing need brought on by the pandemic was a significant undertaking. I'm incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment of our staff, including our support staff, to see what our communities are going through and create a path forward." 
 
The initial phase of this temporary service expansion will last for eight to 10 weeks and support short-term community needs. 
 
Community members can access these services by emailing or calling Tanager Place outpatient services at [email protected] or (319) 286-4545.
Mercy Iowa City is now offering telehealth appointments at all of its primary and specialty care clinics located in Johnson, Iowa, Cedar, Washington and  Muscatine counties. Patients from throughout its southeast Iowa service area can now connect with their provider by computer or mobile devices.

To schedule a telehealth appointment, call your provider. If you do not have a Mercy physician, call Mercy On Call at (319) 358 2767 to schedule a telehealth or clinic appointment.  A list of Mercy Iowa City clinics is available at http://www.mercyiowacity.org/mercy-clinics .
Iowa Concern, a  service connecting Iowans with information to help them navigate through a variety of life circumstances, is available free of charge.

With a toll-free phone number, live chat capabilities and a website, Iowa Concern services are available 24 hours a day, seven days per week at no charge. Iowa Concern provides access to stress counselors and an attorney for legal education, as well as information and referral services for a wide variety of topics. The service is provided through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

To reach Iowa Concern, call (800) 447-1985. Language interpretation services are available. Interested parties can also visit the website, www.extension.iastate.edu , to live chat with a stress counselor one-on-one in a secure environment. You may also email an expert regarding legal, finance, stress, or crisis and disaster issues via the site.

All personal information given to Iowa Concern, whether on the hotline or through e-mail or live chat, is kept confidential.
Donated pet food at the Animal Care and Adoption Center on March 27. 
CREDIT CITY OF IOWA CITY

The Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, 3910 Napoleon Lane, is working to help pet owners experiencing financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing free pet food.

To do so, the shelter is accepting donations of food for dogs, cats, and small animals.

To request food, pet owners can call the Animal Care and Adoption Center at (319) 356-5295. Staff is currently working with a limited crew and still provides care for animals, so those interested may need to leave a message. Callers should leave their name, phone number, and the number and types of pets that need food. Staff will then contact the pet owners when the food is ready. Food can be picked up near the front door of the shelter. 

To donate food, drop off items at the side door, facing mostly east, between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Prescription pet food will also be accepted.
 
Donations can also be made by contacting local pet store Leash on Life at (319) 354-4334, [email protected], or at www.leashonlife.net . The store can take orders for specific items or money totals of your choosing. They will then deliver donations to the Animal Care and Adoption Center.

For all Iowa City COVID-19 news updates and resources, visit icgov.org/Coronavirus . 
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StocksCorridor Stocks

NAME SYM PRICE CHG %CHG
AEGON AEG 2.62 0.00 0.00%
Alliant Energy  LNT 50.57 2.82 5.91%
Casey's General Stores CASY 132.83 0.59 0.45%
Deere & Company DE 141.23 6.88 5.12%
Dow Jones ^DJI 22,327.48 690.70 3.19%
General Mills GIS 54.10 2.28 4.40%
GoDaddy GDDY 59.16 2.49 4.39%
Great Western Bank GWB 20.69 0.15 0.73%
Heartland Express HTLD 18.58 0.77 4.32%
KemPharm KMPH 0.2151 -0.013 -5.70%
Marsh & McLennan MMC 89.55 4.10 4.80%
MidWestOne  MOFG 21.06 0.13 0.62%
Pearson PSO 7.01 0.51 7.85%
Pepsico PEP 125.48 5.02 4.17%
Principal Financial  PFG 33.21 0.61 1.87%
QCR Holdings QCRH 27.50 0.45 1.66%
S&P 500 ^GSPC 2,626.65 85.18 3.35%
Procter & Gamble  PG 115.00 4.83 4.38%
United Fire Group UFCS 33.06 1.99 6.40%
U.S. Bank USB 35.87 0.52 1.47%
United Technologies UTX 98.49 1.34 1.38%
Wells Fargo  WFC 29.92 -0.36 -1.19%
West Bank WTBA 16.50 0.48 3.00%
Whirlpool  WHR 87.71 3.45 4.09%
Short-Term Event Planner
     
March 31
Construction Industry/Expert Panel Q&A,  by BerganKDV, 9:30-10:30 a.m., online. Steve Tenney, construction industry consultant, will present an overview and Q&A on how the recent changes and legislation are impacting your industry. To register, visit  bit.ly/2WTL8s7 .
 
The Grief Process at Work,  by UNI Center for Business Growth and Innovation, 10 a.m., online. Celina Peerman, from The Peerman Group, and Amy Dutton, from UNI's Small Business Development Center, will talk about processing grief at work and how to cope with the current crisis. Free. Join the webinar  here .
 
Government Industry/Expert Panel Q&A,  by BerganKDV, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., online. Join Jodi Woodward, government industry leader, for an overview and Q&A on how the recent changes and legislation are impacting your industry. To register, visit  bit.ly/33XU7Kn .
 
Tele-Business Best Practices & New Tools,  by Corridor Business Journal, noon-1 p.m., online. Facilitated by Randy Montelius, vice president of technology at CEC, learn how to help your organization maneuver the new world of "tele-business." Free. To register, visit  https://bit.ly/2wN0vId .
 
Dental & Healthcare Industry/Expert Panel Q&A,  by BerganKDV, 1:30-2:30 p.m., online. Join Jamie Katz, shareholder and professional practices expert, for an overview and Q&A on how the recent changes and legislation are impacting your industry. To register, visit  bit.ly/2WQjOuV .
 
Distress Loans: Lessons from the 2008 floods,  by UNI Center for Business Growth and Innovation, 2 p.m., online. Join SBDC Regional Directors Scott Swenson and Amy Dutton as they look back at the lessons learned from disasters lending from the 2008 floods. Free. Join the webinar  here .

Headlines from KCRG-TV9
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9  

An Eastern Iowa care center is the site of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, accounting for three out of every 10 cases in Linn County, according to information provided by the state of Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds said during a press conference today that 21 cases of COVID-19 were associated with a care center in Linn County. The governor classified this as a local outbreak at the care facility, confirmed by the Iowa Department of Public Health. As of today, Linn County has 71 total cases of COVID-19. The care facility is associated with about 30% of those total cases countywide.

Authorities arrested the man they say is responsible for a Linn County vehicle chase and attempted robbery. Dustin Lacey, 36, faces both theft and attempting to elude charges. Deputies with the Linn County Sheriff's Office say they chased him late March 21. He allegedly tried to rob a home near Springville. Deputies followed him through parts of Linn County, heading into Jones County, and coming back to Linn. He got away, but authorities later arrested him.
 
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9 
 
Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
 
It will be mostly sunny and dry start to the week, with highs in the upper 50s. Temperatures will stay in the mid to upper 50s through the week, with the first chance of rain Thursday night.