Stroke Robot Added at GRMC

Grinnell Regional Medical Center has partnered with the University of Iowa Stroke Center to launch a mobile stroke detection robotic unit in GRMC’s emergency department for faster diagnosis of strokes.  GRMC staff completed the training on the stroke robot and took the unit live on Wednesday, Aug. 28. This is the second unit that the University of Iowa Health Care has placed in Iowa rural hospitals.

During a stroke, which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted by a blood clot or hemorrhage, every second matters. When a patient comes to GRMC now with symptoms of a stroke, the wireless remote presence robot will be rolled into the emergency bay to assess the patient. This immediately connects the patients with a neurologist and neurological diagnostic equipment at UI Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City to examine and diagnose a stroke within minutes.

 “The ability of GRMC to connect patients to the University of Iowa stroke team enhances the quality of care that we can bring to our residents,” says Doris Rindels, GRMC assistant vice president. “Recovery from a stroke greatly improves when medical attention can be administered at early onset. Minutes really do matter.”

“Accurate diagnosis of a stroke and timely treatment is paramount to improved patient outcomes, but rural communities in Iowa often lack neurology specialty care in the emergency department, especially 24-7, to treat a stroke,” says Harold Adams, MD, UI professor of neurology and director of the UI Comprehensive Stroke Center. “The stroke robot allows us to conduct a full diagnostic exam on the patient and gather all the clinical information we need to more accurately advise our emergency room colleagues in Grinnell and provide excellent care for the patient.”

GRMC’s emergency department is staffed 24-7 with a physician and trauma certified staff. Once a patient is connected to the stroke robot, a UI neurology specialist controls the wireless robot and communicates with the patient and GRMC’s emergency staff through a two-way video conferencing unit. Using the robot’s advanced monitors, camera, and microphones, the patient speaks directly to the UI neurologist. The neurologist gathers information about the symptoms, and the patient’s physical movements and responses.

Based on the information gathered, the UI neurologist and the GRMC physician discuss a treatment plan. If the symptoms indicate that the individual is having a stroke, then a clot-busting medication, called t-PA, can be given within three to four hours from the beginning of the stroke symptoms. Depending on the timing and severity of the stroke, the patient may be admitted to GRMC or may be transferred to UI Hospitals and Clinics or another tertiary hospital for further advanced care. The UI Stroke Center was recently named Iowa's first Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The center was one of only 35 such centers nationwide to receive the designation.

“This is a wonderful technological advancement at GRMC that will benefit patients, yet doesn’t add cost,” Rindels says. “We’re very excited to be working with the University of Iowa Stroke Center to bring this diagnostic capability to our patients.”

GRMC currently utilizes telemedicine in the intensive care unit, with an eICU monitoring unit that connects GRMC’s critical care unit with physicians at Saint Luke’s Health System – eICU Center in Kansas City. It works similar to the UI Health Care stroke robot, allowing advanced specialists to directly interact with patients in GRMC.

GRMC Offering Cooling Station This Week to Shelter from the Heat

Update: Poweshiek Emergency Management will also open a cooling station in Montezuma at the Montezuma Family Center, 300 East Washington. It will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, the week of August 26.

Previously released

Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s cafeteria is open as a cooling station for people seeking shelter from the heat, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. this week. 

Excessive heat and humidity can be dangerous to those who live with a chronic disease without access to air conditioning. 

Heat-related illnesses can come on suddenly. Symptoms can include headache, nausea, body aches, fainting, dizziness, and confusion or anxiety. All persons are advised to take precautions from the heat, limiting time outdoors or in spaces without air conditioning, and drinking plenty of fluids.

GRMC Anesthesia Team Welcomes Lacey Nicol, CRNA

Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s surgical department has expanded the anesthesia team with the addition of Lacey Nicol, certified registered nurse anesthetist. Nicol will begin working in the surgical suites August 19, in rotation with the three other anesthesia providers at GRMC: Alexzandra Anderson, CRNA; Troy Anderson, CRNA; and Kevin Emge, DO. She will also provide anesthesia services for obstetrics, the emergency department, and the intensive care unit.

Nicol earned her master’s degree in nurse anesthesia from the Mayo School for Health Sciences College of Medicine in Rochester. Her bachelor of science in nursing was completed at Allen College.

“As a practitioner, I strive to make each patient’s surgical experience the best it can be. Each patient can expect to receive a safe, effective, and individualized anesthesia plan. I utilize open communication and education to allow each patient to be a partner in their care,” Nicol says.

Originally from Cedar Falls, Nicol moved to Grinnell with her husband, Scott, and their two daughters. They look forward to Grinnell’s small community, excellent schools, and access to big city amenities.

GRMC Welcomes New Internist

Grinnell Regional Medical Center welcomes Lauren E. Graham, MD, MPH, to the Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine Clinic. Graham will begin in mid-August, joining Drs. Ronald Collins and Todd Janicki in the clinic, located on the second floor of the Ahrens Medical Arts Building. 

Graham comes to Grinnell from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Internal Medicine residency program, Baltimore, Md., where she also earned her medical degree. She also completed a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health while working on her medical degree. Her undergraduate degree is from Earlham College, in Richmond, Ind. She replaces Christine Lindgren, DO, who accepted a position at the Veteran’s Administration’s Hospital in Marshalltown.

Graham grew up in a small Ohio town and is familiar with Midwestern values and communities. She is looking forward to working with and knowing patients to manage their health conditions.

“With my training in public health, I’ll strive to improve the health of the greater service area and build a healthier community,” Graham says. “Patients can expect me to work with them as a partner on their path to restore health. I want to empower people to take care of their health.”

Graham comes from a service-oriented family and has always enjoyed the combination of using science to help people. She chose an internal medicine specialty to allow her the opportunity to get to know people and address complex adult health conditions.

“I’m excited to be practicing in the Midwest after working in Baltimore. I wanted to be part of a vibrant small community providing comprehensive compassionate care to all adults in all sectors,” Graham says. “The practice where I worked at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center was very big. I cared for many very ill patients and experienced a broad caseload with difficult conditions.  I’m looking forward to putting that knowledge in work here in Grinnell.”

“We’re extremely pleased to have Dr. Graham join our internal medicine team for adult specialty medical care. Her training at Johns Hopkins and her warm, compassionate personality will work well with our medical staff and will be appreciated by our patients,” says Todd C. Linden, CEO and president of GRMC. “Her public health training and commitment to patient health makes her an excellent fit as we look at the future of healthcare.”

Graham moved to Grinnell in July to join her husband, Andrew Graham, who is a professor in the Grinnell College chemistry department. When not busy with her practice, Graham likes to travel, bake, and write poetry.

Romance in the Vegetable Garden

Amongst the green beans and tomato plants of Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s community garden, Lily Taylor, GRMC dietitian, said “yes” when Andy Swedenhjelm proposed marriage. Swedenhjelm is a high school physical education and health teacher for the Newton school district and the head high school wrestling coach at Newton.

Taylor has been involved in GRMC’s community garden for employees. Employees who help work in the garden enjoy the produce it generates. Taylor had wanted to show Swedenhjelm how well it was doing. So a few days prior to their Friday evening out for dinner and a movie, Swedenhjelm planned the big moment.

“She talks about this garden and how neat this hospital project is. Lily takes pride in the garden so it was a natural place to ask her,” Swedenhjelm says.

The couple has not set a date yet but plan for summer of 2014.

Creating an Environment for Healing

Through the years, Grinnell Regional Medical Center has worked toward creating an environment that allows the greatest potential for healing for both patients and families. At GRMC, this includes services such as animal-assisted therapy, music therapy, massage, and spiritual care.

It also includes physical space such as the Mitchell Meditation Room and the Healing Garden. When the need for a new chemotherapy and infusion space was identified, GRMC teamed up with architect Kevin White and Lee Emma Running, artist and associate professor of art at Grinnell College, to design this new department. 

The result is a beautiful and open space with a clean design. The room is flooded with natural light and botanical imagery. Running worked with White from the beginning to provide input on the design of the space, the color scheme, lighting, flooring, and other materials.

This was a unique opportunity to develop the art as an integral component of the project. By working with White from the beginning, Running was able to consider the entire space in the project’s development. She created the environment knowing the mission and purpose of the space.

 “We are constantly looking for ways in which we can increase positive outcomes for our patients,” says Todd C. Linden, GRMC president and CEO.  “We know that an environment that supports healing and maintaining or restoring wellness for our patients, their families, and our employees is important to their experience. This new space is extraordinary and unique.”

Running created an art installation entitled, “Hydrangea Variations” that uses hydrangea flowers as their primary motif. The space is entered through a hallway lined with a 200-foot dimensional mural of painted flowers and hand-cut silhouettes. This dimensional mural creates an interplay of object, light, paint and shadow. The imagery continues inside the waiting room, and into patient spaces where the windows are etched with delicate floral patterns, suggesting an unseen botanical element from beyond the room.

“This is a great example of what art can do,” says Running. “The space is the art. Because of the natural light, the patterns of the silhouettes and shadows are different depending on the time of day, which adds another layer of interest to the space.”

Grinnell Regional Medical Center is a community hospital located in the town of Grinnell, in east central Iowa. GRMC is a private, non-profit and non-tax supported medical center, serving more than 40,000 residents in a six-county rural area of central Iowa. A 49-bed hospital with 50 physicians and allied healthcare professionals, 300 employees, and more than 300 volunteers, GRMC provides an array of services from birth to end-of-life. Specialties include primary care in family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, and general surgery, as well as specialists in anesthesiology, bariatrics/weight loss surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, pain management, pathology, podiatry, psychiatry, radiology, and urology. Visiting specialists in 11 areas provide additional specialty care for area residents.