Correction: GRMC Honors Key Supporters Through Comprehensive Campaign

Correction: 

GRMC Honors Key Supporters through Comprehensive Campaign

(The following information was not correctly given in the release we wrote and sent to local media last Thursday, October 24. We respectfully request the printing of a correction. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.)

Waldo Walker served the hospital board for 21 years. No other trustee before or since has served as a member of the GRMC Board of Directors longer. To the medical center, Walker contributed his strong skills in management and overall knowledge of the Grinnell area and its people. He first joined the board in 1989 and served for nine years. During this time, he served as the chair from 1993 to 1994. After a year and a half break, he rejoined the board and served an additional 16 years. Walker also served on the GRMC Foundation Board for 12 years.

GRMC Foundation Board Welcomes New Members

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Foundation welcomed five new board members at their regular meeting on October 23, 2013.

Lorna Caulkins, David Cranston, MD, Dennis Day, Brian Manatt, and Chad Nath, join 18 area residents in providing direction, vision, and strategic planning for the GRMC Foundation.

Caulkins recently retired as the director of the Drake Community Library, formerly known as the Stewart Library. Cranston is a semi-retired family physician on medical staff with GRMC. Day serves as general counsel for Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. Manatt is the new president of Manatts, Inc. of Brooklyn, Iowa. Nath is the director of wellness and integrated therapies at GRMC.

“Every member of the GRMC foundation board provides valuable guidance and leadership for GRMC’s fundraising efforts and management of the foundation’s endowment,” says Denise Lamphier, director of communications and development. “They serve as a liaison within their communities on behalf of GRMC as well. This is particularly important as we continue with the Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign.”

Current Foundation Board Leadership Team and Members

Leading the board as chair is George Drake. Serving as chair-elect is Sally Lang. Lang also represents the Foundation Board on the GRMC Board of Directors. Dave Vander Linden is the current secretary/treasurer for the Foundation Board.

The GRMC Foundation Board includes the officers and new members listed above as well as Sig Barber, Joanie Heimsoth, Sheila Latcham, Leila Maring, Debby Pohlson, Sally Smith,  Nancy Walters Smith, Vic Wilson, and Susan Witt of Grinnell; Janice Hansen and Pat Supple of Montezuma;  and Orville Bloethe and Leonard Seda, DVM of Victor.  Ex officio members of the board include Sheila Latcham, representative of the GRMC Auxiliary and Todd Linden, GRMC President and CEO.

GRMC Honors Key Supporters Through Comprehensive Campaign

Grinnell Regional Medical Center is in the beginning of a comprehensive campaign to raise $7.5 million by the year 2017, when the medical center will celebrate its 50^th anniversary of service.

The campaign, entitled “Moving at the Speed of Life,” will enhance services, facilities, and technology at GRMC to meet the healthcare needs of the community today and in the future while also supporting annual needs of the medical center.

“Life happens when you are not looking,” says Dan Agnew, a GRMC volunteer who is co-chairing the campaign with Debby Pohlson, Nicholas Kuiper, DO, and John Bambara, MD. “The staff at GRMC literally moves at the speed of life to help our patients on a daily basis, no matter how slow or fast it moves—because every second counts, every moment matters.”

Four noted individuals are being recognized as honorary co-chairs of the campaign for their extraordinary commitment to GRMC. They are Jewel Kintzinger-Day, the late Marion Jones, Leila Maring, and Waldo Walker.

“These four individuals have been steadfast supporters of GRMC and have always demonstrated that true success is in helping others,” says Todd C. Linden, GRMC president and CEO. “We feel it important to recognize each of them for their vital and extraordinary volunteer work on behalf of the organization over the years.”

Since the Kintzinger family arrived in Grinnell in 1969, Jewel Kintzinger Day has been an active and ardent supporter of GRMC. Day has always believed that the hospital is one of the most important features of the community and that every effort should be made to improve it. With her good friend Marion Jones, the two managed the hospital gift shop for years and were a driving force in increasing patient care and satisfaction. Day and her family have been generous supporters of GRMC with their time and monetary contributions. The Kintzinger Women’s Health Center is a tribute to her family as benefactors and volunteers.

As the first female president of the hospital’s board of directors, Marion Jones led the organization through crucial decisions about the future of hospital services, and the focus on outpatient care, which has since proven to be a successful direction for the hospital. At a time when other hospitals were forced to close because they could not adapt to the change in the provision of healthcare, Jones led the board of directors and the organization into the medical center we know today. The Jones family, led by Marion’s husband, Addison, continues her legacy of commitment to GRMC.

Leila Maring has been involved with GRMC since 1948 as a nurse. Until her retirement in 1990, Maring worked in almost every department. One of her favorite positions was as a scrub nurse in surgery. From 1970 to 1990, Maring was a Poweshiek County Public Health and home health nurse. She was part of the first hospice board in 1982 and an original member of the SE*ED steering committee. She became the first hospital trustee on the GRMC Board of Directors with a nursing background, bringing new insight to the board. Her many contributions earned her the title of Modern Healthcare’s 2006 Trustee of the Year for small healthcare organizations nationwide.  Leila continues to serve today on the GRMC Foundation Board.

Waldo Walker served the hospital board for more than 16 years. No other trustee before or since has served as a member of the GRMC Board of Directors longer. To the medical center, Walker contributed his strong skills in management and overall knowledge of the Grinnell area and its people. He first joined the board in 1989, served as the chair from 1993 to 1994, and served until 2007. He rejoined the board in 2000 and served until 2011. Walker also served on the GRMC Foundation Board for 12 years.

The Moving at the Speed of Life campaign will raise funds for seven important projects, including the:

§  Extensive renovation of the emergency department to modernize it.

§  Creation of a walk-in clinic.

§  Building of a new chemotherapy and infusion department.

§  Purchase of a state-of-the-art daVinci^® surgical robotic system and new CT scanner.

§  Renovation of Postels Community Health Park to accommodate GRMC’s growing wellness program.

§  Development of an endowment for the new Grinnell Regional Mental Health Center.

Campaign volunteers are currently focusing their efforts on raising funds from businesses, corporations, and foundations. Plans are to begin soliciting individuals later this year and in 2014. To date, the medical center has raised about $2.1 million toward the $7.5 million needed to complete the projects.

For more information about Moving at the Speed of Life: A Comprehensive Campaign for GRMC, contact Denise Lamphier, GRMC director of communications and development, at 641-236-2589 or dlamphier@grmc.us.

Annual GRMC Auxiliary Wreath Raffle Kicks Off the Holidays

Welcome the holiday season with the annual wreath raffle sponsored by the Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary. This year, the auxiliary will sell raffle tickets for nearly 40 holiday and winter wreaths. Wreaths are 24 inches in diameter and decorated by area businesses and volunteers in a wide variety of themes–traditional, whimsical, and contemporary.

Ticket sales begin Monday, November 25, at The Glass Gift Box at GRMC. Wreaths will be displayed in the hospital hallways by The Glass Gift Box, laboratory waiting, and physical therapy. The drawing for wreaths will be Friday, December 13, at 1 p.m.

“This is such a fun event,” says Jennifer Collins, committee chair. “It’s wonderful to see all the creative wreath designs that deck our halls at GRMC. The Auxiliary is thrilled with the support for this great holiday tradition.”

Proceeds for this fundraiser will go toward the GRMC Auxiliary’s $150,000 pledge to the hospital’s Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign, with $100,000 committed to the GRMC Auxiliary Chemotherapy and Infusion Suite. The auxiliary’s lead gift for this new area was the catalyst for GRMC to move forward and complete this project.

Additionally, the GRMC Auxiliary supports various medical center and health education programs, including $5,000 in scholarships, books and gifts to newborns at the Kintzinger Women’s Health Center, and health education.

Raffle tickets may be purchased at The Glass Gift Box, the Auxiliary’s gift shop inside the medical center, for $1 each or 6 for $5, beginning Monday, Nov. 25. While at The Glass Gift Box, shoppers can also purchase angels for the hospital angel tree in honor or memory of a loved one.

For more information on any of these events or to support the GRMC Auxiliary, call the GRMC volunteer coordinator at 236-2588. 

GRMC Auxiliary Angel Tree: An Annual Holiday Tradition

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary hopes to fill its tree in the medical center with angels for the upcoming holiday season. This project is a way to honor or remember loved ones through the purchase of an angel ornament for the tree. The GRMC Auxiliary will begin selling the ornaments on Friday, Nov.1, in The Glass Gift Box at GRMC. 

This year’s angel ornament is a trio of three small vintage-look angels, silver in color. After Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season, more angel ornaments are added to the tree as they are purchased. They remain on display in the admissions department of the hospital until the week of December 17 when the ornaments may be picked up and taken home by the person who purchased the ornament or given to the honoree. The tree will remain on display until after December 25.

Funds raised will go toward the GRMC Auxiliary’s $150,000 pledge to the hospital’s Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign, with $100,000 committed to the GRMC Auxiliary Chemotherapy and Infusion Suite. The auxiliary’s lead gift for this new area was the catalyst for GRMC to move forward and complete this project.

To purchase an angel and support the work of the GRMC Auxiliary, stop by the GRMC Auxiliary’s gift shop, The Glass Gift Box. Ornaments will be sold from November 1 through December 16. Angels are $10. For more information, contact the GRMC volunteer coordinator at 641-236-2588.

Manatt Family Gift Helps GRMC Plan Urgent Care Services

Slated for Opening in 2014

A recent gift of $250,000 to Grinnell Regional Medical Center will help support the opening of an urgent care clinic in Poweshiek County.

This major donation was made by Manatts, Inc., of Brooklyn and the Manatt family. The support from the Manatt family has allowed GRMC to renovate the first floor of the Ahrens Medical Arts Building into an easily accessible urgent care clinic for convenient care.

In recognition of the gift, the clinic will be called “Manatt Family Urgent Care.”

 “The Manatt family’s gift to GRMC is allowing us to bring a much needed line of service to our patients. In addition, it has moved us closer to our fundraising goal for continued improvements and services to our community,” says Todd C. Linden, GRMC president and CEO. “We are grateful and very excited. The new clinic will ultimately enhance the entire patient experience.”

Once opened, the clinic will offer urgent care and after-hours care for non-emergency situations. Providers in the clinic will treat individuals with minor illnesses and injuries such as sore throats, colds, simple cuts, and ear infections. The clinic will also provide occupational medicine services and wound treatment. The occupational medicine and wound treatment programs are already seeing patients in the new area. The urgent care component of the clinic will open in February/March 2014.

One reason the Manatt family made this gift is because family members see a need for quality healthcare being available outside normal business hours.

“The idea of this clinic is dear to us because our employees work long, odd hours.  We want to make sure there is a facility available to them to get the care they need during off-business hours,” says Brian Manatt, president of Manatt’s, Inc., a diversified construction company specializing in asphalt paving, concrete paving, and ready-mix concrete.

“In our industry, the hours our employees put in don’t always allow them to get to a physician during normal business hours. It is hard for them to find time to take care of themselves.  This clinic will help become a solution to that problem,” he says.

In helping to provide healthcare access for their employees, the Manatt family also brings access and affordability to all area residents. According to national estimates, about 20 percent of all emergency department visits can be effectively treated in a clinic like this one.

“We are excited to partner with GRMC on this project to provide much needed services for after hours and urgent care,” says Adam Manatt, vice-president at Manatt’s, Inc.

Comprised of three examination rooms and a small laboratory area, the clinic is located in the Ahrens Medical Arts Building at GRMC and will offer services from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. With increased use, the long-term goal is to expand hours later into the evening and on Sundays.

“We are so grateful to the Manatt family for helping us create a top-notch urgent care clinic,” says Dan Agnew, GRMC board member and co-chair of GRMC’s Moving at the Speed of Life campaign. “This significant gift, along with the generosity of other donors, allows us to deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time. By investing in GRMC, the Manatt family is investing in the health of the community and the region.”

Through its Moving at the Speed of Life campaign, GRMC is reimagining and creating facilities to increase access to high quality care and ensure that it is always responsive to patients needs. The campaign’s priorities include efforts to:

• Modernize the emergency department.
• Create an urgent care clinic.
• Enhance chemotherapy services.
• Purchase state-of-the-art robotic surgery equipment and a new CT scanner.
• Renovate Postels Community Health Park to accommodate a growing wellness program.
• Establish an endowment to help subsidize operating costs for the Grinnell Regional Mental Health Center.

The total cost to achieve these seven initiatives is $7.5 million. Although still very early in its efforts, campaign commitments to date have allowed the medical center to initiate a new chemotherapy suite, purchase a daVinci® Robotics Surgical System, and create the urgent care clinic. About $5 million is still needed to fund all the projects, with significant fund-raising efforts planned in the coming months. For more information, contact Denise Lamphier, GRMC director of communications and development, at 641-236-2589 or dlamphier@grmc.us.

GRMC Hosts Successful Blue Jean Ball

Denim, dancing, food, and fun were enjoyed by more than 400 guests during the second Grinnell Regional Medical Center Blue Jean Ball at the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Ben Latimer and Mike Pearson served as the masters of ceremonies for the evening, which raised almost $34,000 for GRMC projects. The bulk of the funds will benefit the Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign at GRMC. The total also includes $565 for GRMC’s Arts Advisory Committee and $3,975 for the GRMC Auxiliary, which the auxiliary will use toward its pledge to the campaign.  

One of the many highlights of the evening was the recognition of four individuals chosen to serve as honorary chairs of the GRMC Moving at the Speed of Life campaign. Jewel Kintzinger Day, the late Marion Jones, Leila Maring, and Waldo Walker were all recognized with a standing ovation for their years of service and dedication to GRMC. In her place, Jones’ husband, Addison Jones, was recognized.

 “The Blue Jean Ball is a fun event to raise money and friends for GRMC,” says Ben Latimer, member of the event planning committee and emcee with Mike Pearson. “Everyone has a great time. The auction, the food, the people, music by The Dweebs—it all contributes to an amazing event.”

The evening’s entertainment was provided by The Dweebs, a regional band out of Somerset, Wis. Opening music was provided by Grinnell’s own Broken Record, a group of four Grinnell Middle School students.

Between spins on the dance floor, guests bid on more than 70 live and silent auction items.

“This is the first year that Heidi and I were involved with the Blue Jean Ball,” says Mike Pearson, emcee with Ben Latimer and member of the event planning committee. “We are already looking forward to 2015!”

Laura Nelson Lof, GRMC marketing specialist who led the efforts to plan the event, agrees.

“We have some truly amazing friends,” Nelson-Lof says. “Not only did more than 400 people help celebrate GRMC at the ball, we also had a fabulous planning committee of 17 volunteers and staff helping make this event special for everyone in attendance. A big thanks goes to our sponsors and friends who donated live and silent auction items. The music was fantastic. We are thrilled to have had such a successful fund-raising event. Everyone had a great time, and we are pleased to have raised this generous amount toward our comprehensive campaign.”

Sponsors of the event were: Kintzinger Family Foundation; The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation; Claude W. Ahrens Charitable Trust; Grinnell College; Grinnell Mutual; Oakland Acres Golf Club; ASI Signage Innovations; Axmear Farm, LLC; Grinnell Chamber of Commerce; Grinnell Health Care Center; Denise Lamphier; Vander Linden Construction; Bikes to You – Craig Cooper; Burt Day and Jewel Kintzinger Day; Dr. Kevin and Mary Emge; Family Medicine; Wes Finch Auto Plaza; Foot and Ankle of Iowa – Dr. Matthew McKnight; Grinnell Herald-Register; Grandma’s House – Wendy Kadner; Dr. Nicholas and Stacy Kuiper; Ron and Sally Lang; Lincoln Savings Bank; Bernie Lowe and Associates; Drs. Sam and Michelle Rebelsky; University of Iowa Community Credit Union; and Joanne Yuska.

The Moving at the Speed of Life campaign at GRMC is in the early fund-raising stages. The campaign is raising funds for building expansion, renovations, and state-of-the-art equipment. 

The goal of the campaign is to:

§  Modernize the emergency department.

• Create a walk-in clinic.
• Enhance chemotherapy services.
• Purchase state-of-the-art robotic surgery equipment and a new CT scanner.
• Renovate Postels Community Health Park to accommodate a growing wellness program.
• Establish an endowment to help subsidize operating costs for Grinnell Regional Mental Health Center. 

The total cost to achieve these seven initiatives is $7.5 million. In the initial months of this effort, campaign volunteers have secured gifts and pledges of more than $2.2 million. These early commitments have allowed the medical center to already complete a new chemotherapy suite and purchase a daVinci® Robotics Surgical System.