Thursday, June 30, 2011

Healing After the Death of a Loved One

Grinnell Regional Medical Center will offer a five-week grief support group designed for anyone in the community who has lost a loved one. The group will explore the challenges associated with loss as well as the opportunities that loss presents for healing and growth.

“The grief support group will be a safe place for participants to share their loss and fond memories of their loved,” explains Randy Svendsen, LBSW, GRMC social worker and group facilitator. “This will be a time for group members to explore ways to remember, heal, and grow.”

Gatherings will be held on Tuesdays, beginning August 2 and run through August 30. The support group will be held noon to 1 p.m. at Brooklyn’s Presbyterian Church, 503 Clay St.

There is no fee to participate, but interested persons must pre-register by calling Grinnell Regional Hospice at 641-236-2418. Childcare will be offered free of charge for those who may need it. Please request childcare when you register.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Child Safety Seat Inspection

Grinnell Regional Medical Center will host a car safety inspection at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 27, at the south employee parking lot, off of 3rd Ave. Staff of the Kintzinger Women’s Health Center will complete the inspections, which are free to anyone who transports children, including parents, grandparents, and childcare providers.

At the inspection the vehicle and seat are thoroughly evaluated to make sure the child safety seat is installed correctly based on age and weight of child. The certified technicians will also examine the car seat size and review whether the seat appears on a recall list. To make newborn seats more safe, technicians may install a noodle to properly fit the baby to the seat and not restrict the baby’s air pathway.

A certified technician instructor will also be available to answer questions. For more information on the free car safety seat inspection, call the Kintzinger Women’s Health Center, at 641-236-2324.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

GRMC Auxiliary Hosting Kid Zone

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary partnered with the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce offering a new service to Friday Fest activities all summer long. The Kid Zone is a safe and fun environment for youth during the first Friday of the month festivities in downtown.

The Kid Zone includes inflatable games, temporary tattoos and face painting, and minute to win it games. Parents may purchase a $10 wrist band that allows the youth unlimited participation for the evening in the Kid Zone and a free bottle of water. Individual tickets may be purchased for each activity as well. Hours are 7 to 9 p.m.


Jacob Lowe, son of Linda and Skip Lowe, tried his hand at a 
Minute To Win It game during the Kid Zone activities.


“Our Auxiliary wanted to offer this service to allow youth a safe and fun environment during the Friday Fest activities. The community has really supported coming out on a Friday to meet their friends, family and neighbors downtown,” explains Shannon Reding, GRMC auxiliary vice chair. “We saw a great opportunity to supplement this social gathering. The Kid Zone is a service to the Friday Fest as well as a fundraiser for the auxiliary. Our first one went very well and we invite everyone to come to the next three Friday Fests on July 1, Aug. 5 and Aug. 26.”

The auxiliary will also sell bottled water, sports drinks, and soft drinks for Friday Fest and Kid Zone attendees. The Kid Zone activities are designed for youth over five years of age. Parental supervision is advised for youth eight and under as the auxiliary volunteers will run the games and activities.

The GRMC Auxiliary is a service organization dedicated to supporting the mission of Grinnell Regional Medical Center. To keep up to date on all the GRMC Auxiliary functions please stop by The Glass Gift Box and fill out our Challenge form. For as little as $5 a year, auxiliary friends can keep up on all the happenings. You may also sign up online at www.grmc.us/donate/auxiliary.html.  Funds raised by the auxiliary support scholarships for healthcare, patient services and education, and medical equipment. For more information call the GRMC volunteer office at 641-236-2588.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Internal Medicine Specialist Joins GRMC

Internal medicine services continue to expand as Grinnell Regional Medical Center welcomes Todd A. Janicki, MD, MBA, to the medical staff. Janicki will primarily provide hospitalist coverage for inpatients at GRMC as well as outpatient care at Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine.

Janicki moved to Grinnell from Dublin, Ohio, where he served as a hospitalist for Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He earned his medical degree from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, graduating magna cum laude. He received an MBA the same year from Niagara University, Lewiston, New York. His bachelor of arts degree is also from Niagara University.

“I had a strong interest in medical care so I became an EMT,” Janicki says. “I worked with good friends who were training to become physicians and that inspired me to go on to medical school. I really wanted to work with patients in the hospital setting.”

Janicki says he and his wife decided on Grinnell for a totally different practice style as well as life style.

“I’d been in the bigger city hospitals. At the large tertiary hospitals with my specialty, I didn’t really get the direct patient care that I wanted in a practice. It was a complex system so I really coordinated many other specialists. I wanted a smaller hospital setting so I can have direct hands-on care and responsibility with patients,” Janicki says.

“On a personal level, we were looking for a smaller community and plan to live on property outside of town. We hope to be able to have a recreational hobby farm once we get moved.”

Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine will be staffed with Christine Lindgren, DO, PhD, and Ronald Collins, Jr., MD. With the third internist, GRMC will expand hospitalist coverage for inpatients as well as re-launch the internal medicine outpatient clinic.

“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Janicki to our medical staff. He brings excellent diagnostic skills and experience that will be a great benefit for our patients and the complex cases we will see in the clinic as well as the hospital,” Lindgren says. “With three internists on staff, we will greatly expand the care options available to local residents for receiving healthcare close to home.”

Todd C. Linden, GRMC president and CEO, adds, “Dr. Janicki adds dimension and depth to the internal medicine specialty care. We are pleased to round out the internal medicine team with this recruitment. We can offer a full complement of inpatient and outpatient services to our area residents. With three internists on staff along with our state of the art eICU, our sickest patients will have 24/7 advanced care coverage. We can offer follow-up care after discharge and assure the continuum of care for patients from hospital back to their primary care providers.”

Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine in a specialty clinic of Grinnell Regional Medical Center, located on the second floor of the Ahrens Medical Arts Building, 210 4th Ave., Grinnell. For information, call 641-236-2382.

Friday, June 3, 2011

GRMC Auxiliary Hosts Bridge and 500 Invitational

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary invites all Bridge and 500 card players to its annual Invitational on Thursday, June 23, at the Drake Community Library, 930 Park St., Grinnell. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. with the luncheon at noon and games to follow.

Men and women of all skill levels are welcome to this afternoon of fun, card playing, and socializing. A $10 fee is charged and covers the luncheon and prizes.

“This annual event brings together men and women in our area for a fun afternoon of card playing and socializing,” says Karen Voecks, GRMC auxiliary committee chair. “Participants do not need to find a foursome to play. We will match up tables during registration. Individuals will be given a tally and table information upon registration.”

Proceeds from the event will support the GRMC Auxiliary’s goals to purchase equipment for the hospital, fund scholarships, and host the Women’s Health Focus and Baby Fair, among other projects.

For more information or to reserve your space at the annual Auxiliary Bridge and 500 Invitational, contact Natalie Dunn by June 20 at 641-236-3644 or email her at natk.jmdn@yahoo.com; or call Voecks at 641-236-4963 or email her at hlcch@iowatelecom.net.