logo
UnityPoint Health intending to acquire MercyOne Siouxland

UnityPoint Health intending to acquire MercyOne Siouxland

Yahoo29-05-2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — UnityPoint Health has announced that it will be acquiring MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center and its facilities.
In an email from UnityPoint Health, they said that they and MercyOne Siouxland have signed a letter of intent for UnityPoint to acquire MercyOne Siouxland and its facilities. Facilities that will be acquired include the hospital, physician practices, and home care services.
UnityPoint Health said that this decision was made so that they can be committed to the community and enhance Siouxland's access to high-quality healthcare.
'As the healthcare landscape evolves across the Siouxland region and even nationally, we continually evaluate opportunities to strengthen local healthcare in the communities we serve,' said Scott Kizer, President and Chief Executive Officer of UnityPoint Health. 'As an integrated, not-for-profit health system, UnityPoint Health is deeply invested in preserving access to care throughout all our communities; recruiting, retaining, and developing the best possible healthcare workforce; and providing an exceptional experience to all our patients. We believe that local, community-led, not-for-profit healthcare is best for our Sioux City community, and that this acquisition will help support that mission.'
Story continues below
Top Story: Potential SNAP cuts could impact food banks in Siouxland
Lights & Sirens: 1 dead after truck crashes into backhoe near Norfolk
Sports: Local Iowa high school girls playoff soccer highlights and scores (5-28-25)
Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here
MercyOne said that they share a goal of doing what is best for Siouxland.
'UnityPoint and MercyOne have a shared goal to do what's best for the Sioux City community. We strongly believe the best way to maintain access to care in Sioux City, to become sustainable long-term, and to ensure a smooth transition for patients and employees is for UnityPoint Health to acquire MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center,' said Bob Ritz, Chief Executive Officer, MercyOne. 'This decision supports our commitment to being a compassionate and healing presence in our communities.'
The release states that the acquisition is expected to be completed this summer.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How SNAP cuts will hit the Bay Area
How SNAP cuts will hit the Bay Area

Axios

time5 hours ago

  • Axios

How SNAP cuts will hit the Bay Area

With millions of food-insecure people expected to lose benefits, food banks and pantries in the Bay Area are bracing for the worst and rallying community support to continue serving those in need. Why it matters: Roughly 175,000 residents in Bay Area congressional districts are at risk of losing benefits from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the nation's largest food aid program — including children and seniors, according to the California Budget & Policy Center. What they're saying: If you add up all of the SNAP recipients at risk of losing some benefits, they'd fill up every major stadium in the Bay Area, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank spokesperson Lisa Gulezian told Axios. "Locally, we are asking the city and county to strengthen their response to food insecurity by protecting CalFresh and SNAP," said the food bank's associate director of policy and advocacy, Marchon Tatmon, who pointed to potential initiatives like pop-up pantries and community funds focused on food insecurity. State of play: Pre-COVID, the food bank served around 34,000 households, according to Tatmon. At the peak of the pandemic, that number hit 56,000. It remains at roughly 53,000 households today. "The need is still there," Tatmon said, noting that over 6,500 people are on their waitlist. "Lines are still long." Volunteers, donations and calls to elected officials will be critical for ensuring the food bank can adequately provide for people in need, Tatmon added. Context: Trump's signature policy bill tightens SNAP work requirements, a move Republicans say will reduce waste, fraud and abuse. It's on track to cut 20% of spending on food stamps, which could result in more than 2 million people losing benefits, per an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. States could also shoulder more benefit costs, the rate of which would be set by a state's percent of erroneous payments. Benefits are currently 100% federally funded, though states share administrative costs.

The Friday Checkout: Why Sprouts' self-distribution expansion is timely
The Friday Checkout: Why Sprouts' self-distribution expansion is timely

Miami Herald

time8 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

The Friday Checkout: Why Sprouts' self-distribution expansion is timely

Distribution has been a hot-button issue for the grocery industry this year, with United Natural Foods, Inc.'s cybersecurity attack taking center stage along with C&S Wholesale Grocers' recent bid to acquire SpartanNash. With all eyes on the food supply chain, grocers' efforts to build out self-distribution networks couldn't be more timely. Self-distribution was a major talking point during Sprouts Farmers Market's second quarter earnings call earlier this week. Though UNFI's near shutdown was "minimally disruptive" to the fast-growing specialty grocer, according to CEO Jack Sinclair, its expanding self-distribution network is looking more and more appealing these days. It would enable the specialty grocer to have "more control over [its] supply chain while minimizing operations and supply chain risks," Sinclair told investors. Sprouts runs a network of distribution centers across its operating footprint, with around 80% of its stores located within 250 miles of one. The grocer is expanding that network, with a new DC set to open in Northern California next year. It's also bringing its fresh meat and seafood sourcing in-house, according to an April investor presentation. "We're going through a transition period," Sinclair said about the ongoing efforts to establish a more self-sufficient supply chain. He added that Sprouts will continue to take over distribution of "key product categories." Sprouts is far from the first food retailer to turn to self-distribution. Ahold Delhaize US, for example, has ADUSA Distribution as well as ADUSA Transportation to serve all of its stateside banners. This self-distribution push began in 2019 and, as of 2023, included around two dozen facilities along the East Coast. Walmart is also part of this trend. This year alone, the retailer opened its first owned-and-operated case-ready beef facility, purchased a distribution center in Utah and debuted a Sam's Club distribution center in Florida. Self-distribution is difficult to carry out for smaller, independent grocers that lack the resources to build and operate supply facilities. But for larger retailers, it can help save money and avoid catastrophe if third-party distributors can't deliver. In case you missed it FMI rolls out SNAP resource for its members FMI – The Food Industry Association announced Thursday it has created a resource for its members to track state policies relating to waivers that restrict certain foods from SNAP eligibility. The page provides individual food definitions for states that have received waivers as well as state communication strategies, implementation timelines and a state-by-state comparison showing how "candy" is defined. The trade group said it will keep the resource updated as information becomes available. DoorDash bolsters its grocery presence The e-commerce provider announced Tuesday the addition of six retailers to its platform. The newcomers include Bi-Rite Market and Lunardi's Markets in the San Francisco Bay Area, Superior Grocers in California and three grocers in Ohio: Dave's Markets, Dorothy Lane Market and Lucky's Markets. Whole Foods takes on "biodiversity highway initiative" On Tuesday, Whole Foods Market unveiled a partnership with Mad Agriculture to launch a national initiative aimed at reconstructing native ecosystems across farmland in the U.S. The program, which will begin in and around the Lowery Creek Watershed in Wisconsin, aims to buffer communities from flooding and erosion, improve soil and water health, and support pollinators and wildlife. Whole Foods said the creation of a 1,000-acre "biodiversity highway" will address issues such as disappearing biodiversity, declining soil health and weakening ability of land to withstand environmental stress. As part of the initiative, the Amazon-owned grocer has pledged up to $500,000 in matching funds to "catalyze $1 million in collective investment from food system stakeholders in 2025." Impulse find Stop & Shop makes a 'Happy' cameo Netflix's hit movie "Happy Gilmore 2" features a laundry list of star cameos, including Ben Stiller, rapper Eminem, NFL player Travis Kelce and pro golfers Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. And then there's our personal favorite: Stop & Shop. The Northeast grocery chain's Clifton, New Jersey, store plays a key role early on in the film. Happy Gilmore, played by Adam Sandler, is shown working in the store's produce department when a pesky customer starts prodding him about playing professional golf again. (Spoiler alert: Happy doesn't let the pestering go unpunished.) "We're grateful to be part of such a culturally relevant moment - and excited for viewers to spot our aisles in this laugh-out-loud sequel," Stop & Shop said in a LinkedIn update. The star turn will, no doubt, raise awareness of the grocer's brand. "Happy Gilmore 2" garnered 46.7 million views in its first three days on Netflix, according to Variety, marking the best opening performance ever for a Netflix film. Copyright 2025 Industry Dive. All rights reserved.

Nutrition Assistance Programs Combat Cognitive Decline
Nutrition Assistance Programs Combat Cognitive Decline

Medscape

time14 hours ago

  • Medscape

Nutrition Assistance Programs Combat Cognitive Decline

Nutrition assistance programs do more than fighting hunger. They also may help guard against age-related cognitive decline. Researchers found that people who participated in the US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) had slower cognitive decline over 10 years than peers who did not participate in the program. 'The chief policy implication of our study is that nutrition assistance programs like SNAP are not just anti-hunger tools — they are also public health tools that may help protect cognitive function and promote healthy aging,' lead author Linlin Da, MPH, PhD candidate, University of Georgia College of Public Health, Athens, Georgia, told Medscape Medical News . The study was presented on July 30 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025. Healthy Food, Healthy Brain Using the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, researchers analyzed a racially and ethnically representative group of people aged 50 years or older. They compared 1131 individuals (mean age, 63 years) who were enrolled in SNAP in 2010 to 1216 individuals (mean age, 66 years) who were eligible for SNAP but did not participate in the program. 'Our study focused on SNAP — a real-world, policy-level intervention — rather than just individual food choices,' Da noted. As part of the study, memory and executive function were assessed every 2 years between 2010 and 2020 via telephone or web-based interviews. Individuals with an initial cognition summary score indicating cognitive impairment or dementia were excluded from the analysis. The researchers found that SNAP participants had a 0.10% slower decline in overall cognitive function ( P < .001 ), or 2-3 additional years of cognitive health over the 10-year period. 'For someone starting at a healthy cognitive score, this slower decline could delay reaching the threshold for mild cognitive impairment by nearly a decade,' Da noted in a conference statement. SNAP participants also had a slower decline in memory ( P < .001 ) and executive function ( P = .004 ) than peers not enrolled in SNAP. 'Our study is one of the first long-term, nationally representative studies to show that participation in a federal nutrition assistance program like SNAP is associated with slower cognitive decline in older adults,' Da told Medscape Medical News . Da said there are several biological and social mechanisms that may explain how SNAP participation slows cognitive decline, including improved nutrition. 'SNAP increases access to nutrient-dense foods that support brain health — such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Better nutrition is linked to reduced inflammation, improved vascular health, and preservation of cognitive function over time,' Da explained. Reduced food insecurity and stress is another possibility. 'Chronic food insecurity is a significant source of psychological stress, which can negatively impact brain function. SNAP helps alleviate financial and emotional strain, leading to lower levels of chronic stress and potentially reducing harmful stress-related effects on memory and executive function,' Da said. 'We hope healthcare providers will see that potentially delaying cognitive impairment is another reason to help their patients-in-need secure access to food assistance,' co-author Suhang Song, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Georgia College of Public Health, added in a conference statement. Equity Gaps While all racial and ethnic groups benefitted from SNAP participation, the protective effects on cognitive decline were smaller among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic older adults compared with non-Hispanic White participants. There were 'racial and ethnic disparities in the cognitive benefits of SNAP, which points to important equity gaps in how nutrition policies may impact different populations,' Da said. 'We guess, even with SNAP, living in food deserts or areas with fewer healthy food options may limit the quality of nutrition people can access. This can especially affect Black and Hispanic communities, where structural barriers to healthy eating persist,' Da said. Commenting on this study for Medscape Medical News , Courtney Kloske, PhD, director of Scientific Engagement for the Alzheimer's Association, said it 'highlights the importance of nutritious foods and the impact that can have on the brain.' Maria Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer and medical affairs lead, Alzheimer's Association, noted that food insecurity can negatively affect cognitive function, and this is one of the first long-term studies to show that food assistance programs can positively impact cognition. 'Simple, everyday actions can make a difference in brain health and may even lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The Alzheimer's Association is committed to helping all people build these habits into their daily lives, including eating right, one of our 10 Healthy Habits for Your Brain,' Carrillo said in a statement.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store