22 schools in Polk County have 10% or more kids absent due to illnesses
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Polk County Health Department is reporting that 22 schools in Polk County have 10% or more of their students absent due to illnesses.
On Wednesday Johnston Community School District canceled school for two days at its Beaver Creek Elementary School due to 20% of its students being absent due to illnesses.
Blank Children's Hospital ER sees record high visits
The Polk County Health Department works with schools in the county and provides mitigation strategies when large numbers of children are reported sick.
Kim McMains, a Public Health Planner for the Polk County Health Department, said the department supports Johnston's decision to close school.
'We are seeing an increase in the number of schools reporting absences due to illness at or over 10%. We did have a school nurse workgroup yesterday and talked about mitigation strategies as well as how they can report and stay informed' McMains said.
Metro News:
22 schools in Polk County have 10% or more kids absent due to illnesses
Blank Children's Hospital ER sees record high visits
DMPD releases name of suspect shot and killed by officers
Des Moines man lured 12-year-old girl into his home via Instagram, police say
Des Moines non-profit 'cautiously optimistic' after potential Federal funding freeze
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness
Former UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness originally appeared on Men's Fitness. Ben Askren has been hospitalized due to a serious illness. On Saturday, June 7, Ben Askren's wife, Amy, shared in a Facebook post that Ben, 40, is in the hospital with severe pneumonia. "You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly. He's currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time. We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace. We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully so please refrain from discussing it with them for now," Amy wrote in the post. Wrestling insider Pat Mineo also took to social media, sharing Askren's condition. "Wrestling community, we need to pray for and rally around @BenAskren who is in critical condition and battling a severe staph infection. He is also battling severe pneumonia, prayers needed!!!" Mineo wrote on X on Saturday night. Askren's most recent Instagram post, shared just a week ago, has turned into a space for fans to send their thoughts and prayers, with many flooding the comments with heartfelt messages and prayer emojis. "Fight back Ben! I pray that you heal quickly and return just fine! We are ALL in your corner man!!!!!!" one Instagram user wrote. "Get well soon champ," another user wrote. Askren had an impressive MMA career, racking up 12 straight wins and capturing welterweight titles in both Bellator MMA and ONE Championship. Known for his dominant wrestling and unorthodox style, Askren retired from the sport in 2019. He briefly returned to competition in 2021 for a one-off boxing match against Jake Paul. Widely considered one of the greatest amateur wrestlers in U.S. history, Askren also represented Team USA in wrestling at the 2008 UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness first appeared on Men's Fitness on Jun 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by Men's Fitness on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
6 moves, 1 dumbbell and 20 minutes are all you need to build full-body strength with this workout
You don't need a gym full of weights to get a great workout done. You don't even need to buy a whole load of kit for your home either — just one dumbbell is all you need to strengthen your entire body, as long as you're doing the right workouts. This six-move workout from fitness trainer Kat Boley is definitely one such workout. Using one dumbbell, it works all the major muscle groups in the body in just 20 minutes, and along with building strength, it will also boost your cardio fitness thanks to the fast pace. Boley suggests using a fairly heavy dumbbell for the workout, since you'll be wielding it in both hands. She's using a 25lb weight, but pick whatever suits your fitness level — if you have one of the best adjustable dumbbells, you change the weight as and when required during the workout. Other than your dumbbell, you don't need any kit for the workout, though using a yoga mat will be worthwhile if you're on slippery floors. A post shared by Kat Boley | Home Workouts for Women (@katb_fit) A photo posted by on Boley demonstrates all six moves in the workout in her Instagram post, so it's worth watching each video to get an idea of the form for each exercise. You do three rounds of the six moves in total, resting briefly between each exercise and taking a longer one-minute break between rounds. Perform eight to 10 reps of each move — when alternating sides for an exercise, that means doing eight to 10 reps in total, so half that on each side. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Here are the six moves you'll be doing in the workout: One thing I always like about Boley's workouts is that she uses combination exercises to target multiple muscle groups in both the upper and lower body in the same movement. So you do squat thrusters, rather than just squats, or lunges with biceps curls. This means that short workouts can be more effective in the range of muscles worked. If you keep the pace high during this session, you'll raise your heart rate throughout, improving your cardio fitness and burning a lot of calories. You can treat it as a HIIT workout, or you can go slow and take longer breaks to make it more of a pure strength session. If you want a core-focused workout, this 15-minute session also requires only one dumbbell, while this 20-minute supersets workout is another great full-body session that just uses one weight.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
OHA uncovers latest report highlighting issues at Oregon's psychiatric hospital
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon State Hospital has less than two months to prove it is now in compliance with federal standards and maintain its Medicare agreement. The state's public health leaders have uncovered a survey they conducted at the Salem behavioral health facility on Apr. 29. According to the , investigators found OSH 'was not in substantial compliance' with several regulations related to its governing body, patient rights and special provisions for psychiatric hospitals. 'Deeply private': Oregon AG challenges potential sale of 23andMe users' personal data The survey came after a patient's death in March, which led to the Joint Commission conducting its own report and . The Oregon Health Authority's newly released investigation shows that several staff members told surveyors that executive leadership 'largely ignored and dismissed' warnings and complaints about safety at the hospital. OHA's statement of deficiencies also alleged employees were 'coached' on what to say during the probe from officials. Any corrective actions that were established in response to the survey were soon discontinued, the document shows. 'This report is a clarion call for the need for the immediate changes being implemented now that will have impact to assure that patients at OSH are safe and receiving the care they need and deserve,' OHA Deputy Director Dave Baden, who is the hospital's active superintendent as of April 11, said in a statement. 'Sustained and ongoing cultural changes at the hospital will take time. We need to improve our processes in support of not only patients in seclusion or high-risk patients, but every patient at OSH.' The public health agency's report also includes a letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. According to CMS' health insurance specialist, the Oregon psychiatric facility's Medicare agreement is currently set to terminate on Aug. 4. This means that Medicare won't cover services for patients admitted on or after that date. Patients admitted ahead of the deadline could still receive payment for another 30 days. Port of Portland OKs lease for mass timber facility to boost jobs, housing Federal officials said the termination would only be averted if the facility created a plan of correction, which was due on June 2. According to Baden, OSH has already paused telework for patient-facing staff and required leadership to regularly visit units in order to help employees serve the hospital. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
