UnityPoint Health - Cedar Rapids

01/17/2026

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and UnityPoint Health is taking meaningful steps to raise awareness within our organization and community.

Throughout January, our exterior lights are shining blue, the national color for Human Trafficking Awareness, as a reminder of our commitment to education and prevention. Our Human Trafficking Committee has placed educational table tents in ED cafeterias to help staff and visitors recognize key signs of trafficking, and committee members have attended City Council meetings across the corridor as mayors from Ely, Solon, Marion, Mt. Vernon, Manchester, Cedar Rapids, and others signed proclamations declaring January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

These efforts reflect our ongoing dedication to keeping our patients, teams, and community informed and safe.

01/16/2026

New Year's Resolution: Make more moments that matter. Join a team who cares. https://uph.link/JoinOurTeam

01/16/2026

Doing everything right, but the numbers on the scale don't add up? Here's what's behind those mysterious pounds. https://uph.link/e8eccc

Discover the surprising causes of weight gain beyond diet and exercise. Learn when to be concerned and how to take control of your health with expert insights from UnityPoint Health.

01/15/2026

St. Luke’s Hospital is the first in Cedar Rapids to use ERBECRYO 2 cryobiopsy technology, an advanced tool that 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 by obtaining larger, higher-quality tissue samples from hard-to-reach areas of the lung.

The new technology is used as a complementary tool with the hospital’s existing ION robotic bronchoscopy system, allowing pulmonologists to navigate deep into the tiny, complex airways of the lung with exceptional precision. Once a lesion is reached, the ERBECRYO 2 system’s probe rapidly freezes the tissue to its tip so it can be removed in a single, well-preserved sample.

“Accurate diagnosis begins with high-quality tissue,” said UnityPoint Clinic Pulmonologist Hamad Azam, MD. “The ERBECRYO 2 system gives us larger, cleaner and more complete samples than standard biopsy tools. This improves our ability to diagnose lung cancer early and guide personalized treatment plans.”

ERBECRYO 2’s cryo technology is also used for the removal and destruction of foreign bodies, such as blood clots, diseased or infected tissue and tumors that can obstruct the many airways of the lung.

𝙑𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 uph.link/RoboticSurgery-CR 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙩. 𝙇𝙪𝙠𝙚'𝙨 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘-𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮.

01/14/2026

St. Luke’s was recently recognized as the #1 Hospital in the State of Iowa for 2026 by Newsweek. Returning to the podcast today to discuss this honor and what it means for health care in our community, is Casey Greene, market president for UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids.

For more information on services offered at St. Luke’s – the #1 hospital in the state of Iowa – right here in Cedar Rapids, visit unitypoint.org.

01/14/2026

Are you exhausted from winter break or actually getting sick? Watch out for these flu red flags.🚩 https://uph.link/f9254d

How do you know when you have a cold and when it’s the flu? Both colds and the flu are brought into the body through the mucous membranes, which are located in the nose, eyes and mouth. Learn more about cold vs fly symptoms and when to see a doctor.

01/14/2026

St. Luke's is the only area hospital that offers AVEIR™ DR, the world’s first dual-chamber leadless (wireless) pacemaker system. It effectively treats abnormal or slow heart rhythms by sending electrical signals to both the right-upper and -lower chambers of the heart, helping it beat normally again.

The AVEIR DR is roughly one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker. The devices are implanted directly into the heart via catheter. Unlike traditional pacemakers, they eliminate the need for cardiac lead wires. As a result, leadless pacemakers reduce patients’ exposure to potential complications and offer a less restrictive and shorter recovery period after implantation.

Learn more about all the cutting-edge treatments available from St. Luke's leading heart care program at uph.link/CR-Heart.

01/10/2026

Congratulations to this incredible group of individuals from the Birth Care Center, Maternal Fetal Medicine, NICU, and Physical Therapy who received a 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 yesterday: 𝗗𝗿. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝘆𝗿𝗲, 𝗗𝗿. 𝗨𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗸𝗮, 𝗗𝗿. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲, 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲, 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮, 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮, 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶, 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘆, 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝘆, 𝗔𝗹𝗶, 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮, 𝗧𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘆, 𝗦𝘆𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮, 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿, 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮.

“Thank you so much for taking great care of our family during such a special time. It was such a blessing to have the ones I work with take care of our family with expertise, care, and compassion.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘈 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 – 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘵. 𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦’𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘵. 𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦’𝘴.
𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 bit.ly/GuardianAngel-CR

01/10/2026

Dr. Jon Rippentrop, a PCI urologist and St. Luke’s medical director for robotic and minimally invasive surgery, sat down to talk about the 20th anniversary of robotic surgery and a new treatment option now available to patients.

After celebrating its 20th Anniversary of Robotic Surgery in December, UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital unveiled new robotic surgery technology for urology patients. Joining us to talk more about the new treatment option is Dr. Jon Rippentrop, PCI urologist and St. Luke’s medical direct...

01/09/2026

Doing Dry January? Here's how to tell if you're just a social drinker or your habits are concerning. https://uph.link/f9b0e4

A drink or two with friends, a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after a long day — it's a common way to relax and socialize. But how much is too much? Learn the difference between low-risk drinking, binge drinking and alcoholism.

01/09/2026

We asked one of our medical directors: With such a tough Influenza A strain going around, is the vaccine still effective? Here’s what you need to know. https://uph.link/FluVaccine

01/08/2026

Flu season is hitting hard right now. 🤒 Here's how to feel better, faster. https://uph.link/chj

Influenza spreads every year, and despite your best efforts to wash your hands and guard against germs, there’s still no guarantee you won’t get it. Learn how to treat the flu, including what you can do at home and when you need to see a doctor.