We recently launched a new website for the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) - www.IowaeHealth.org.

Through their vision for a healthier Iowa, the IDPH formed Iowa e-Health to encourage consumers, health care providers, insurers, consumers, government and businesses to establish Iowa’s Health Information Exchange and to promote the use of electronic health records.  Across the country, there is a goal for every American to have an electronic health record by 2014.

According to the Iowa e-Health, Iowa’s Health Information Exchange will greatly improve health care by providing doctors with faster access and more complete health information.  With accurate, up-to-date electronic health records, doctors can save precious time, make more informed decisions and provide better health care.

Because the website’s focus centered on two central audiences — the general public and health care providers — the website needed to be carefully developed to allow some information to be replicated in both sections while other key sections contained audience-specific content.

Please check out the website.  Every Iowan needs to be informed about efforts to improve health care in the state of Iowa.  We’re proud to be a part of it.

In December, we launched a new website for 1-800-BETS-OFF.  If you are not familiar with the program, it was established by the Iowa Department of Public Health to reduce the harm that can be caused by problem gambling and also to educate about responsible gambling.

The new website is very simple.  It was redesigned to focus on getting people the help they need.  There is a quiz visitors can take to determine if they may be in need of help or getting close to needing help.

And, because video is such a popular communication tool, we’ve produced a video that explains what happens when you make that call.  The purpose is to make people feel more comfortable about taking that first step towards recovery.

Please review the new website and let us know your thoughts.