Author

Tony Leys

Tony Leys is rural editor/correspondent for Kaiser Health News based in Des Moines, where he worked 33 years as a reporter and editor for The Des Moines Register. He was the Register’s lead health care reporter for more than 20 years and served four terms as a board member for the Association of Health Care Journalists. He is an alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT.

People with Down syndrome are living longer, but the health system still treats many as kids

By: Tony Leys - April 17, 2023

MONTROSE, Mo. — It took Samantha Lesmeister’s family four months to find a medical professional who could see that she was struggling with something more than her Down syndrome. The young woman, known as Sammee, had become unusually sad and lethargic after falling in the shower and hitting her head. She lost her limited ability […]

Mental health crisis teams aren’t just for cities anymore

By: Tony Leys and Arielle Zionts - October 10, 2022

This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. NEWTON, Iowa — Jeff White knows what can happen when 911 dispatchers receive a call about someone who feels despondent or agitated. He experienced it repeatedly: The 911 operators dispatched police, who often took him to a hospital or jail. “They don’t know how to handle […]

RETURN TO HOME