Health issues and the systems around them are multifaceted and often complex while also being crucial to individuals’ economic mobility and a community’s vitality.

As needs in the health sector, from cancer to workforce, come into focus for Central Iowa leaders, the decisions and actions made today will shape the next generation’s ability to thrive.

At our upcoming Power Breakfast, we will examine several of these key issues in Iowa and what is needed across the sector to work toward solutions and sustain a thriving population.

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Register for the event
Date: Thursday, May 14
Time: 9-11 a.m.
Location: Krause Gateway Center

Register

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Panelists include:

• Dr. Richard Deming, medical director, MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center
• Nalo Johnson, president and CEO, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
• Laura Jackson, executive vice president, health improvement, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
• David Stark, co-chair, Capital Crossroads and chief government affairs and philanthropy officer, UnityPoint Health

In addition to our panel, this event will feature remarks from several additional speakers to provide insight around specific health issues affecting Iowa and efforts to identify and implement solutions. Those speakers include:

• Steve Churchill, CEO, Iowa Medical Society
• Jami Haberl, executive director, Iowa Healthiest State

Ahead of the event, we asked the speakers to respond to the following question: What is a barrier you see to improving health in Iowa and what is an actionable step toward addressing it?

Here’s what they shared.

Churchill: The predominant barrier to improving access to health care in Iowa, and across the country, is the physician shortage crisis. The American Medical Association (AMA) projects a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, a challenge already affecting access in rural and underserved communities across our state.

Addressing this requires a dual approach. We must continue investing in Iowa’s physician pipeline. This includes expanding residency training, funding loan repayment programs, and creating pathways that encourage physicians to train and stay in Iowa. Through Operation IOWA, the Iowa Medical Society has spent the past two years focused on strengthening this pipeline and supporting physicians at every stage of their careers.

At the same time, we need to make better use of the physicians we have today. Reducing administrative burden, particularly prior authorization, is a practical and immediate solution. According to the AMA, physicians and their staff spend about 13 hours each week on prior authorization requirements. This is time that could otherwise be spent caring for patients. In Iowa, IMS successfully advanced priority legislation this session to reform prior authorization, building on recent advocacy to improve transparency and reduce delays.

By pairing workforce investment with smart policy reform, we can expand capacity, improve access, and ensure Iowans receive timely, high-quality care.

It is the Iowa Medical Society’s vision to work with policymakers to cultivate an environment that makes Iowa a premier destination for physicians to live, work and serve their communities.

Jackson: Many Iowans face serious health challenges across their lifespan. A specific challenge that deserves urgent focus is youth mental health. Nearly two in five Iowa high school students say they feel persistent sadness or hopelessness and one in five have seriously considered suicide. This affects more than kids. It touches families, schools, communities, and impacts our future workforce. A major challenge is access. Too many families struggle to find timely, local mental health support for their children.

Progress happens when we focus on what works. At Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, we use data and community insight to understand where health challenges are most urgent and where action can make the greatest difference. Through the Wellmark Foundation, we support a range of mental health efforts, including school‑based support in rural Iowa communities, that bring care closer to students and strengthen the places where they learn and grow. This helps address concerns earlier and supports families and educators, ultimately improving the future health of Iowa’s communities.

Johnson: Our organization works to elevate the connection between economic stability and positive health outcomes. If you do not have economic stability, you are less likely to have stable housing, less likely to be able to access proper nutrition, and less likely to access quality health care. You are also less likely to access quality education, which often leads to opportunities for economic mobility and thus the ability to move into career pathways that allows one to thrive.  

The 2025 United Way ALICE report found that 13 of the 20 most common occupations in Iowa had a median wage of less than $20 an hour. And of the workers in those 20 occupations, 29% were living below the ALICE threshold survival budget. We are talking about humans in our community who are cashiers, fast food or retail salespersons, janitors, cooks, waiters and waitresses, teaching assistants, nursing assistants, personal care aides – people who are our neighbors, family members and friends that we interact with daily. If we want to support positive community health, it behooves our community to support work that ensures economic stability, or to support a public benefits system that stabilizes individuals and families when their work doesn’t equate to meeting their basic living needs.

Stark: One major barrier to improving health in Iowa is the shortage of health care providers, which limits access to primary and specialty care, mental health services and preventive treatment. Many Iowans must travel long distances or wait weeks for basic appointments, allowing manageable conditions to become costly emergencies.

An actionable step toward addressing this is for the state to take a multi-pronged approach to recruiting support with incentives and common sense immigration reform. This could include expanding the current rural provider incentive program to all counties for loan‑repayment packages, housing or relocation support and tax credits for clinicians who commit to practicing in high‑need counties for several years. Strengthening incentives — paired with rural training rotations for medical and nursing students — would help attract and retain providers, reduce wait times and improve long‑term health outcomes across Iowa.