Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Area Ostomy Support Group

06/09/2026

When the call for supply pickup gets really busy. Tomorrow....I have 4 people meeting me in one place...then off to a 5th to get supplies. Stay tuned.... I'll post pics for availability at some point.

05/16/2026

Not sure who's on here for the newsletter....aka on our email list but please be in the lookout for information on the upcoming meeting Thursday night. This will be a business meeting....we need members there. Zoom will be available too. Please, please consider attending. Need more info...let me know.

05/14/2026

I would like to give a huge thank you to Gina Carlile, who has poured her heart and soul into this support group for the past decade. Thank you for the excellent and time-consuming work you've done: the meetings you've coordinated, the newsletters you've published, the emails you've written and replied to, the phone calls you've answered, the visits you've made to ostomates, the outreach you've done in the area, the informational brochures you've handed out, the website that you've maintained, and the donated unused supplies that you've picked up and mailed and made available to ostomates for free or pennies on the dollar. I appreciate the countless hours you've taken out of your own life to improve the lives of ostomates.

This page was set up many years ago by me. I moved a couple of years ago and am no longer in the group. Gina has been maintaining it for a while now. Since both she and I are no longer involved in the group, I will be deleting it soon.

Gina is the administrator for the private Facebook group named Eastern Iowa Ostomy Pals and Support if you would like to join that group if you haven't already joined.

I would also like to thank all of you who have supported this group over the years.

Thank you,
Vicki Kee

Send a message to learn more

05/13/2026

Welp..... effective immediately I'm no longer part of the support group. It has been a nice run. I can't guarantee someone will take over this page....but I will tell the new team it's out here.

05/03/2026

May Newsletter is up and ready to view

Read current and past newsletters from the group.

03/29/2026

Link to April Newsletter - please consider joining - for info on the CMS Ruling for Competitive bidding - the website have the newsletter and Q&A from UOAA

Message me for zoom link if you want it

Read current and past newsletters from the group.

03/28/2026

I've been busy..... supplies that were not selling got shipped to Friends of Ostomates Worldwide-USA - FOW ...2 boxes full and the huge box of recycling trash.

Plus posting new stuff in the 2nd pic. I have a featured link of what's available on eBay....sales funds go right to the support group, not me. Support us by buying from there....or I can pull and ship if you cover shipping. Close enough? I'll meet you.

03/28/2026

Please get involved....our April meeting has a speaker as well on this.

Curious what CMS competitive bidding of ostomy and urological supplies could mean for you? Save the date 4/21/26 at noon eastern and sign-up for a UOAA Advocacy Webinar on what this ruling could mean for beneficiaries as well as highlight the nationwide advocacy efforts underway and ways attendees can get involved.

https://www.ostomy.org/event/what-cms-competitive-bidding-could-mean-for-you/

Attendees will hear from various stakeholders and the different perspectives on this topic including:
Kate Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN, WOCNF- Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society - WOCN clinician perspective
Ashley Plauché, Senior Director Brand Marketing American Association for Homecare Association for Homecare- supplier perspective
Sara Struwe, MPA - President and CEO of Spina Bifida Association- catheter patient perspective
Randall Carson, Director, Government Affairs & Reimbursement Coloplast- industry/manufacturer perspective
Diego Schaps, MD, MPH- surgeon perspective