Fern Alling (they/them)
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fernjalling.bsky.social
Fern Alling (they/them)
@fernjalling.bsky.social
10 followers 11 following 5 posts
I'm The Gazette's health care reporter, working to help you understand what’s impacting Iowans' health, why, and what you can do about it.
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Reposted by Fern Alling (they/them)
thegazette.com
Smoke-free casinos bill moving again in Iowa House after Senate lawmakers rejected similar proposal
Smoke-free casinos bill moving again in Iowa House after Senate rejected similar proposal
The goal of smoke-free Iowa casinos lives on at the Iowa Capitol, where a bipartisan panel of lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a proposal to end casinos' exemption to the state's public smoking ban.
www.thegazette.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Fern Alling (they/them)
thegazette.com
Influenza activity increases in Iowa
Influenza activity increases in Iowa
Flu rates have been increasing in Iowa over the last few weeks, but they should start dropping again soon, according to Dr. Dustin Arnold, UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's Hospital Chief Medical Officer.
www.thegazette.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:48 AM
Reposted by Fern Alling (they/them)
thegazette.com
Capitol Notebook: Iowa begins distribution of $78.6M in federal funding for rural health care
Capitol Notebook: Iowa begins distribution of $78.6M for rural health care
It's part of a fund created after cuts to Medicaid in One Big Beautiful Bill Act
www.thegazette.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:48 AM
Reposted by Fern Alling (they/them)
thegazette.com
Bill to fund pediatric cancer research advances in Iowa Legislature after three-year push
Iowa lawmakers advance bill to fund pediatric cancer research
All three members of a House subcommittee signed off on a bill Thursday that would grant up to $3 million to the University of Iowa each year for pediatric cancer research.
www.thegazette.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:57 PM
fernjalling.bsky.social
A very belated announcement – this Tuesday marked my 3-month anniversary of becoming a health care reporter at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids! I was absent here while I adjusted to my new role, but I'm back and excited to share my work with you all.
January 30, 2026 at 4:45 PM
fernjalling.bsky.social
Chicago is installing almost 300 air quality sensors around the city to identify pollution hotspots. Neighborhood environmental justice groups are helping, but some have mixed feelings about the project. Read more:
www.chicagoreporter.com/chicagos-new...
Chicago’s New Air Sensor Network Targets Pollution Inequities - The Chicago Reporter
When Jailene Ochoa’s family moved in 2017 from suburban Cicero to Gage Park in Chicago’s Southwest side, she could feel a difference in the air. “You can smell the air, obviously, and it smells like y...
www.chicagoreporter.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:01 PM
fernjalling.bsky.social
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said it would stop enforcing the terms of a 2023 agreement designed to address environmental inequity in Chicago. The city and advocates both say they're still committed.
insideclimatenews.org/news/2908202...
Despite HUD Mandate Withdrawal, the Push for Clean Air Moves Forward in Chicago - Inside Climate News
The community members who pressed for action say they’ll continue to do so without federal intervention. The mayor’s office says it “will not waver” from its commitments.
insideclimatenews.org
September 2, 2025 at 3:04 PM
fernjalling.bsky.social
Excited to share my latest story about something I never get tired of learning about – bugs! Thanks to the folks at @bioacoustics.bsky.social and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for making this piece possible 🦗
From Sound to Science
stri.si.edu
July 28, 2025 at 2:38 PM