News & Events

Mercy Medical Center is pleased to announce that it will be awarding funds from its newly created Health Equity Fund to eight local nonprofit agencies. The Health Equity Fund is designed to provide individuals in Linn County and seven surrounding communities with the opportunity to attain full health potential – regardless of social position or other socially defined circumstances – through assistance from local nonprofit organizations.

In Iowa and nationwide, infant formula is in short supply. The Iowa Departments of Public Health and Human Services are working to provide information and resources to Iowans who are impacted by the shortage.

The new policy change will allow for more families to be reached and help those receiving SNAP to easily participate in more programs and services that can help ease the burden of looking for local assistance programs.

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for ten counties in response to the March 5 severe weather. The governor's proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather in Adair, Benton, Decatur, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Polk, Tama, Warren, and Wayne counties. In response to the governor's proclamation, the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program (IIAGP) and the Iowa Disaster Case Management program(IDCM) have been activated.

Abbott is initiating a proactive, voluntary recall of powder formulas, including Similac, Alimentum and EleCare manufactured in Sturgis, Mich., one of the company’s manufacturing facilities. The recall does not include any metabolic deficiency nutrition formulas.

Dairy-brand Kemps is stepping up in 2022 to provide much-needed nourishment for families in need with the donation of nearly 800,000 “Giving Cow™” milks. These specially designed, shelf-stable milks are being delivered to Midwestern food banks in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Local retailer Hy-Vee is partnering with Kemps to benefit Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP), which will receive more than 30,000 Giving Cow chocolate milks today for distribution across 9 counties in eastern Iowa, including Cedar Rapids.

HACAP’s Paces to Quality program, with funding from Linn County Early Childhood Iowa and support from the HACAP Childcare Nurse Consultant, held a Bountiful Consumables event at the end of November that provided $10,000 in much needed cleaning and paper products such as gloves, disinfectant wipes, and paper towels to Linn County registered/licensed childcare programs as a way to thank childcare providers for their hard work during the pandemic.

To celebrate the holiday season and the meaningful value of community, UScellular has made a donation to the HACAP Dubuque County Outreach Center.

The current labor shortage has left community action agency, HACAP, with a total of 35 open positions that span across 9 counties in eastern Iowa threatening the need for essential services to low-income families. Many of the open positions currently available are for teachers within HACAP's early childhood preschool program, Head Start.