![\"Pepper](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f2bf7e38-4afa-4a84-ab0e-3bada08b6d69_1747115549.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nLess than a month after Iowa began distributing free radon test kits, nearly 10,000 have already been sent to county health departments as part of a broader effort to improve cancer prevention and health care access in rural communities.<\/p>\n
State, local and federal health leaders gathered Wednesday in Marion County to discuss the progress of Iowa’s Healthy Hometowns: Combat Cancer Initiative, one of five programs funded through the state’s first-year $209 million federal Rural Health Transformation Program award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.<\/p>\n
The initiative aims to reduce Iowa’s high cancer rates by expanding screenings, improving access to specialists and increasing cancer prevention efforts across rural Iowa.<\/p>\n
Radon testing underway<\/p>\n
Officials said nearly 10,000 free radon test kits have been shipped to county health departments since distribution began at the end of August. Participating county health departments are handing them out through their offices, hospitals and community outreach events.<\/p>\n
Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless and colorless radioactive gas that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Testing is the only way to know whether a home has elevated levels.<\/p>\n
If a home tests high for radon, homeowners in some counties may qualify for financial assistance through the initiative to install a mitigation system. <\/p>\n
Marion County Public Health Director Linsey Spoelstra said no homeowners have applied for that assistance yet because the program is still in its earliest stages. Officials recommend homeowners complete an initial test and a second confirming test before applying for mitigation assistance. <\/p>\n
While homeowner mitigation has not yet begun, the initiative has already started expanding Iowa’s workforce.<\/p>\n
According to program leaders, 33 scholarships have been approved to train radon mitigation specialists, and another 37 scholarships have been approved to train radon measurement specialists. Previously, only 99 were certified in the state. <\/p>\n
Lung cancer screening remains a challenge<\/p>\n
University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Dr. Mark Burkard said only about 20% of eligible Iowans currently receive lung cancer screenings.<\/p>\n
But accessing the specialized follow-up care needed after an abnormal result also complicates care, since many rural areas don’t have specialists in the region to help people investigate and address concerning results. <\/p>\n
Burkard said telehealth could help identify patients eligible for lung cancer screening and connect them with specialists, but reimbursement remains a significant hurdle.<\/p>\n
Officials say telehealth policy needs to catch up<\/p>\n
When asked what needs to change to make telehealth a more effective tool for cancer care, State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse said reimbursement is only part of the issue.<\/p>\n
“We need to understand what (telehealth) means for providers, what the challenges look like, what does that look like for our hospitals for reimbursement,” Kruse said. “We have to have all those players at the plate to understand what the best approach is for policy on that.” <\/p>\n
Jeff Kahrs, regional director for Region 7 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption by years, but federal policy hasn’t fully caught up.<\/p>\n
“We’re 20 years further down the road at least… because of Covid,” Kahrs said. “Congress still has more work to do on that. They’re still just, renewing these interim changes year by year. They need to make it into permanent law, which is supported by the administration.” <\/p>\n
Healthy Hometowns reaches beyond radon<\/p>\n
Officials said the Combat Cancer Initiative extends beyond radon testing.<\/p>\n
The program also includes:<\/p>\n
Expanded lung, skin and colorectal cancer screening.Financial assistance for follow-up care for uninsured Iowans.Telehealth access to connect rural patients with specialists.Training for additional health care workers.Data collection to identify where future investments can have the greatest impact.<\/p>\n
Program leaders said the goal isn’t simply to distribute thousands of test kits, but to detect cancer earlier, improve access to care closer to home and ultimately reduce cancer deaths in Iowa’s rural communities.<\/p>\n
As part of that effort, Healthy Hometowns plans to install 72 telehealth tablets across Iowa. Officials said 40 tablets have already been installed at 56 libraries, 12 pharmacies, two public health departments and one senior center, giving rural residents additional places to connect with health care providers.<\/p>\n
Nitrate: Not part of the discussion <\/p>\n
State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse said cancer has many potential causes, including genetics, lifestyle factors and environmental exposures. He said some studies have found associations between nitrates and cancer, while other research has produced mixed results.<\/p>\n
Kruse said Iowa HHS is working with the University of Iowa on a report examining potential cancer drivers in Iowa to better understand the role environmental factors, like nitrate or water quality, may play.<\/p>\n
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center director.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nearly 10,000 free radon test kits distributed as Iowa expands rural cancer care Less than a month after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":859314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[14517,340997,362734,97,362735,148573,13014,39942,243822,9585,14797,3859,243823,83101,13109,18566],"class_list":["post-859313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-access","tag-county-health-department","tag-free-radon-test-kit","tag-health","tag-healthy-hometowns","tag-homeowner","tag-iowa","tag-lung-cancer","tag-nitrate","tag-official","tag-part","tag-program","tag-radon","tag-specialist","tag-state","tag-telehealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}