GRMC Now Offers At-Home Sleep Studies

Grinnell Regional Medical Center can now offer patients a self-administered at-home sleep test, as opposed to the inpatient sleep studies done in the sleep lab on the GRMC campus. Melisa Coaker, MD, a sleep specialist, states that the ability to give at-home sleep studies is all about patient convenience.

“I think that home sleep testing performed on the right patients has much opportunity and potential,” Coaker says. “We can test many more patients, and we can capture much of the same results as an inpatient procedure.”

 The new at-home sleep test will give GRMC the ability to administer more sleep tests, with each test expected to be a fraction of the cost of inpatient sleep tests. The main benefit brought by the new option is the ease and convenience of administering the study at home.

“A lot of patients are scared to come in and sleep in the lab, and this is a good alternative in their own homes,” Coaker says.

The new device is roughly the shape and size of a standard mail envelope with several attachments that each patient will be trained in using. Once at home, the patients simply sleep in their own beds while being monitored by the machine.

To participate in the sleep study, a general physician may refer patients, or patients may opt for self-referral. Some insurance carriers require a referral for coverage.

For more information about sleep disorders, sleep studies, or to schedule a sleep test at home or at GRMC, contact the GRMC Sleep Lab at 515-358-9640. The GRMC Sleep Lab contracts with CIC Associates, P.C., and Mercy Sleep Lab.

GRMC Auxiliary Hosts Bridge and 500 Invitational

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary invites all bridge and 500 card players to an invitational on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the St. Francis Manor Social Center. Registration begins at noon, with lunch served at 12:30 p.m. and games to follow.

Men and women of all skill levels are welcome to this afternoon of fun, card playing, and socializing. There will be a free-will donation raffle held for a chance to win a fabulous prize. Additionally, there will be prizes for the players for the invitational, and a door prize provided by Vonda’s Flowers and Gifts.

Proceeds from the event will support the GRMC Auxiliary’s $150,000 pledge toward the GRMC Auxiliary Chemotherapy and Infusion Suite.

“This is a great afternoon to enjoy cards and to support the auxiliary and its commitment to the chemotherapy and infusion suite,” says Leila Maring, auxiliary invitational chair.

A $10 fee is charged to cover the luncheon and prizes. Please RSVP by calling Maring at 641-236-3743 or email her at lmaring@mchsi.com, by September 17. 

New SHIIP Counselor Offering Medicare Information in Grinnell

“Where can I go to find answers about the Medicare prescription drug plans?  Are mammograms covered by Medicare Part B?  What is a Medicare Advantage plan?

I’m turning 65—who can help me understand Medicare?  My medications have gotten so expensive I just can’t afford to take them all, is there any help?”

Answers to these questions can be found by meeting with Gary Cook or any of the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteers in Grinnell.

Cook recently completed the extensive training program conducted by the State of Iowa Insurance Division. He has been in the Grinnell community since 1974, where he and his wife Bev raised their two sons, Bryan and Kevin. When Cook retired from Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, he chose to donate his time as an insurance counselor because he feels insurance is his area of expertise and he is uniquely qualified to help the community.

“I really encourage everyone to give back in some manner that they feel comfortable doing,” Cook said. “My experiences made the SHIIP program a good place for me.”

He had been volunteering at GRMC for years as a driver of a courier van until he was asked to come on board with SHIIP. Although the summer months are slow, appointments will begin to pick up in the fall.

Autumn is a time to go back and review your insurance program as the year is coming to an end, and think about any changes that you might want to make in your healthcare plans.

People wishing to schedule an appointment with a SHIIP counselor should call 641-236-2588.

SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, was created in 1990 in response to the statewide need for senior health insurance information.  SHIIP provides free informational materials as well as one-to-one assistance with questions and problems related to Medicare benefits, Medicare supplement insurance, Medicare and insurance claims and other related issues.  SHIIP does not recommend insurance companies, plans or agents; the volunteers answer questions and provide impartial information to help Iowans on Medicare make well-informed decisions.

"Adventure is Here" to Launch GRMC's Blue Jean Ball

Grinnell Regional Medical Center and RE/MAX Realty Partners have joined ideas to launch GRMC’s Blue Jean Ball a little early this year. RE/MAX Realty Partners has donated the ride of a lifetime: an adventure for two through the clouds in a hot air balloon.
“GRMC provides numerous health services to local community members and we want to do our part to support them,” said Matt Karjalahti, RE/MAX Realty Partners real estate agent. “At this year’s Blue Jean Ball, GRMC will be auctioning several packages that focus on experiences and adventures. This hot air balloon ride is a great way to kick off the fundraiser and demonstrate the great auction items.”
The hot air balloon ride will be Saturday, Sept. 26, during the annual Fly-In/Drive-In breakfast sponsored by Lowry Flying Service and the Grinnell Optimist Club. Everyone in the community is welcome for breakfast. Tickets for the breakfast may be purchased in advance through Wes Finch Auto Plaza, Community First Credit Union, or Grinnell Optimist Club members. Come out and join in their fun-filled day!
The GRMC balloon trip will last for an hour and the RE/MAX Realty hot air balloon crew will transport participants back to Grinnell when the trip is complete.
Raffle tickets are $20 and can be purchased at The Glass Gift Box, on the first floor of the hospital, or online at bit.ly/GRMCAdventureIsHere. All funds raised will go toward the Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign to renovate the emergency department. To date, GRMC has raised nearly $3.2 million in gifts and pledges for the Moving at the Speed of Life campaign
If you don’t fly high with the balloon ride, plan to dance the night away at the 2015 Blue Jean Ball on Saturday, Oct. 17, in the Harris Center at Grinnell College. Silent auction, wine pull, and raffle begin at 7:30 p.m.; live auction begins at 8:30 p.m., and music by The Dweebs begins at 9 p.m.
For additional information about the Blue Jean Ball, contact Heidi Ramaeker Pearson at 641-236-2961 or hpearson@grmc.us

SE*ED: Seniors Go Back to School by Re-Thinking Education at GHS

Education data is pushing for changes to better prepare students for post-secondary education and career opportunities. On Monday, Aug. 31, at the Grinnell Regional Medical Center Senior Education program, Kevin Seney, Grinnell Community High School principal, will share changes in education and new programming to ensure that all students are building the skills they need to be successful, contributing members in their community.  

Seney will discuss new “buzzwords” in education and explain how schools are departing from the standard, traditional methods of educating our students. He plans to share changes in the Grinnell Community High School, including professional development initiatives for the past four years, new English curriculum scope and sequence, new welding program, project lead the way, the innovative projects lab, and a new business internship program with Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company.

This program is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Drake Community Library with refreshments beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Parking is available at the Drake Community Library, along Park Street, on Fifth Avenue, and in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot. Seniors needing transportation may call GRMC Communications and Development, 641-236-2593, by Thursday before the program.

If you are a person with a disability who requires special assistance, please call 641-236-2593. For more information about upcoming speakers, please check GRMC’s website at www.grmc.us.

Support for 2015 GRMC Annual Fund Drive Reaches Almost $110,000

Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Annual Fund Drive is an essential part of the patient experience at your medical center. Gifts to the annual fund allow GRMC to provide high quality patient care with the ability to purchase new medical equipment and provide support to ongoing healthcare programs.

So far this year, the annual effort has raised almost $110,000.

“We have had strong support from our community to meet these ongoing needs,” says Denise Lamphier, GRMC director of communications and development.

Donations can be given as “unrestricted,” meaning the foundation can determine the greatest need at a given time. Donors can also designate a gift to a specific service, department, or program at GRMC.   

Several projects receive support from donations to the annual fund. Projects include underwriting trainings for clinical staff, the Grinnell Regional Community Care Clinic, and distributing bike helmets to all area third graders. Contributions also go to support local healthcare needs, such as to helping those who are uninsured or underinsured and to fund health services like Grinnell Regional Hospice, Grinnell Regional Home Care, Grinnell Regional Public Health, and Grinnell Regional Mental Health. Donations also offset the costs of programs like the Babies Room, the Loan Closet, and the Seniors Education Program.

Donations may be sent to GRMC Annual Fund, 210 4th Ave., Grinnell, IA 50112. Or, go online to http://www.grmc.us/donate/annual-fund-drive. For additional information about supporting GRMC, contact Denise Lamphier at 641-236-2589 or dlamphier@grmc.us.

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SE*ED: Yoga for all ages and abilities

Yoga has a long history as an art of relaxation and physical exercise. At Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Senior Education Program audiences will learn about yoga that is available for all ages.

On August 24, Kim Wemer, RN, a yoga instructor with the Paul W. Ahrens Fitness Center, will share the history of yoga and the benefits one gains from practicing yoga. She will also lead the group in a brief demonstration of “chair yoga,” a form of yoga that is easily practiced by all age groups. Wemer teaches a regular class in Postels Community Health Park.

The program is free and open to the public at the Drake Community Library. Refreshments are served beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the program begins at 10 a.m. No reservations are needed. Donations are accepted.

Parking is available at the Drake Community Library, along Park Street, on Fifth Avenue, and in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot.

Seniors needing transportation may call GRMC Communications and Development, 641-236-2593, by Thursday before the program. If you are a person with a disability who requires special assistance, please call 641-236-2593. For more information about upcoming speakers please check GRMC’s website at www.grmc.us.

GRMC Auxiliary Tag Day Leaps to Social Media

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary will launch its Tag Day fundraising event with a new approach. Traditionally, GRMC Auxiliary members have hosted tables for Tag Day at many area and downtown businesses, asking for donations for the projects it supports. This year though, the Auxiliary is going techy with Tag Day.

“Social media giving campaigns have documented success, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is one many are familiar with.  For many, giving online is the most convenient way to show support,” says Meg Jones Bair, Tag Day Committee co-chair.

GRMC Auxiliary will be launching a “Tag, You’re It” Facebook, Twitter, and email campaign on August 10. We are asking for a minimum donation of $5, to support the Auxiliary’s $100,000 commitment to the GRMC Auxiliary Chemotherapy and Infusion Suite. When a person makes a donation, the auxiliary is hoping people will share and change their profile picture to show their support of the GRMC Auxiliary.

The Tag, You’re It campaign will last 10 days, ending on August 20 with an appreciation celebration at Music in the Park, in downtown Grinnell.

“Our goal for this new campaign is $2,000 for the GRMC Auxiliary,” says Kama Small, Tag Day Committee co-chair.

Tag Day was initiated in the 1920s and was originally referred to as “Balloon Day” with a brightly colored balloon given to each contributor. Downtown businesses were generous donors resulting in not one, but many balloons decorating their windows. Hospital archives note that on the day of the annual event, the city was “blooming with balloons”. During World War II and the shortage of rubber, the paper tags replaced the colorful balloons.

“We are now moving this long standing fundraising tradition to the 21^stcentury and hope those that are using this technology will participate! However, if you would like to make a donation the ‘old fashioned’ way, tags will be available in The Glass Gift Box,” Small says.  

Donations may also be sent to GRMC Auxiliary – c/o Tag Day, 210 4^th Avenue, Grinnell IA 50112. For more information, call Meg Jones Bair, at 641-236-0428. 

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2015-2016 School Year Immunization Recommendations

The new school year is approaching very quickly and for students entering kindergarten and the 7th grade, Iowa law requires certain vaccinations be completed before school begins this fall.  For those entering kindergarten, the Iowa Department of Public Health requires a minimum number of vaccines with boosters after the age of four. For those entering 7th grade, a booster of the Tdap vaccine is required. Colleges also have vaccination requirements for incoming students. Call your college of choice to find out their vaccination requirements.

“Vaccines are among the safest and most cost-effective ways to prevent disease. Protecting your children from preventable diseases will help keep them healthy and in school.  When parents are preparing to send their child off to day care, school, or college, it’s the perfect time to check if he or she is up to date on recommended vaccines,” said Patty Hinrichs, Public Health Manager at Grinnell Regional Public Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend routine vaccinations to prevent 17 vaccine-preventable diseases that occur in infants, children, adolescents, or adults. According to the CDC, a vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if one were exposed to the disease. After being vaccinated, immunity to that disease is developed within the body, without having to get the disease first.

Schools require vaccination documentation prior to the start of the academic year; time is running out to schedule an appointment for immunizations before the 2015-2016 school year begins.

Contact Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-2385 or your family care provider for more information or to schedule an immunization appointment.

SE*ED: French Art: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Grinnell Regional Medical Center will host Dale Fisher, Curator of Education at the University of Iowa Museum of Art, at the Senior Education Program August 17.

In this presentation, Fisher covers the progression of art in France from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. This time of innovation and artistic genius is explored, beginning with Jacques-Louis David’s neoclassic paintings during the French Revolution, discussing the masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and ending with Pablo Picasso and his Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

Fisher will be using visualizations and PowerPoint slides to show audience details and history of the specific works that can be viewed at the University of Iowa Museum of Art.

This program is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Drake Community Library with refreshments beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Parking is available at the Drake Community Library, along Park Street, on Fifth Avenue, and in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot. Seniors needing transportation may call GRMC Communications and Development, 641-236-2593, by Thursday before the program.

If you are a person with a disability who requires special assistance, please call 641-236-2593. For more information about upcoming speakers please check GRMC’s website at www.grmc.us.

GRMC Embarks on Medical Teaching Institution Program

Des Moines University has entered into an agreement with Grinnell Regional Medical Center that will allow DMU students to complete clinical rotations as part of their medical degree training program. Students will begin their rotations at GRMC on August 3.

Third-year and fourth-year medical students must complete rotations with licensed physicians as a component of their degree. GRMC has 12 medical staff members who have agreed to serve as adjunct professors with DMU so that students may complete training in Grinnell.

GRMC and the GRMCs medical staff committed to host four students for a 40-week clinical rotation. Specialty areas included in the yearlong rotation will be anesthesiology, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, pathology, and urology. Each student will spend two to four weeks in each specialty area.

“Des Moines University approached GRMC to serve as a year-long rotation site for students,” says Kathy Szary, GRMC medical staff services coordinator. “Students benefit from greater continuity of their education by working in the same location for one year and a single site makes scheduling easier. The ultimate goal is to give the greatest training opportunities to students. We hope that by welcoming them to GRMC they will realize how great a rural hospital setting can be for their professional careers and family life balance.”

Students audition for a hospital rotation based on their learning goals and the opportunities at the medical center through a lottery process. Des Moines University students who are assigned to GRMC will also complete a portion of their rotations at Skiff Medical Center in Newton.

“GRMC is very pleased that the first class of students will include a Grinnell alumnus, Craig Follette,” Szary says. “We have welcomed many students to GRMC in the past 10 years. This agreement expands our commitment to teaching students.”

GRMC physicians believe that working with students helps keep them in tune with the newest advancements in medical care. In addition as an adjunct professor, they can earn continuing education credit and access the Des Moines University medical school’s resources.

GRMC has welcomed students for two to four week rotations for several years. This agreement is the first time GRMC committed to a full year-long program for students. In addition, Surgical Associates entered into an agreement with Mercy Medical Center for general surgery residents to complete four week rotations.

SE*ED: Working With the Enemy: POWs in Iowa During the Second World War

As part of a relatively quiet and underpublicized government program, thousands of enemy soldier were brought to Iowa in 1943. Associate Professor of Education at Grandview University Chad Timm, PhD, will give a historical recount of Iowa’s role in WWII and its prisoners of war at Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Senior Education Program on Monday, Aug. 10.

 This talk will focus on the creation of two Prisoner of War (POW) camps in Iowa during the Second World War: one in the northern Iowa town of Algona and one in the southwestern Iowa town of Clarinda. Timm will discuss life in a prisoner of war camp, community relations, the POW labor program, branch camps in more than 30 Iowa communities, and the arrival of Japanese prisoners at Camp Clarinda in early 1945.

Camp Clarinda was one of only two camps in the country to house Japanese soldiers. The story of POW interment in Iowa is a fascinating account of Iowans being confronted by the enemy – an enemy who could help them meet their wartime goals, but that also challenged Iowans to find the humanity in the eyes of the enemy.

This program is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Drake Community Library with refreshments beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Parking is available at the Drake Community Library, along Park Street, on Fifth Avenue, and in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot. Seniors needing transportation may call GRMC’s Communications and Development, 641-236-2593, by Thursday before the program.

If you are a person with a disability who requires special assistance, please call 641-236-2593. For more information about upcoming speakers check GRMC’s website at www.grmc.us.