Nominate an Exceptional Nurse for The DAISY Award

Grinnell Regional Medical Center invites members of the public to nominate an outstanding nurse for The DAISY Award. GRMC will honor all nursing staff during National Hospital Week with The DAISY Award. Nominations are due Friday, April 12.

The award was established by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of an auto-immune disease. DAISY stands for “diseases attacking the immune system.” The DAISY Award recognizes outstanding nurses for their compassion and care.

“At GRMC, we have many DAISY nurses,” says Doris Rindels, assistant vice-president. “They are the kind of nurse that other nurses want taking care of their mom. They are the nurses that go above and beyond for their patients. Their coworkers feel that working with them is a real gift because they care about all aspects of their job and teammates.”

GRMC is participating in this award program with Mercy Health Network of Central Iowa to honor outstanding nurses. All nurses (LPN, RN, and Advance Practice Nurses) who provide direct patient care in any GRMC department or clinic are eligible to be nominated for a DAISY Award.

Nomination forms are available at GRMC nurse’s stations, the nursing administration office, human resources, The Light Center for Public Health, and GRMC clinics in Lynnville, Victor, and Deer Creek Health Center in Toledo.

The Mercy Health Network of Central Iowa will also recognize a DAISY Award RN in June. Those selected from Mercy Health Network of Central Iowa affiliate hospitals, such as GRMC, will be considered to be the DAISY Award recipient at the network level. They will attend a special presentation ceremony in Des Moines and one RN will be chosen to be the DAISY Award recipient for the entire Mercy Health Network of Central Iowa. 

Lynnville Medical Clinic Will Host Open House

The Lynnville Medical Clinic, an affiliated family practice clinic of Grinnell Regional Medical Center, will host an open house on Thursday, April 4, to introduce Cori Fogle, PA-C, to area residents as well as the other new staff.

“The clinic welcomed Cori at the end of 2012 and now that the weather is more dependable we want everyone to come and meet the staff who will care for them,” says Sheryl Rutledge, rural health clinic director. “This open house also helps get the message out about our expanded hours to conveniently serve residents.”

The open house will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, at the clinic, 303 East St. in Lynnville. In addition to introducing Fogle, area residents may tour the facility and meet David Cranston, MD, supervising physician, Kelsey Terpstra, LPN, and Tiffany Norman, patient services representative.

The clinic will expand hours again, adding Tuesdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon, beginning on Tuesday, April 2.

“The clinic has had an excellent response from area residents who appreciate the hours and connect well with Cori and Dr. Cranston. So we feel we can expand clinical hours to five days a week,” Rutledge explains. “We hope patients who haven’t been to the clinic for a while as well as potential patients will stop by and see what the clinic has to offer.”

Refreshments will be provided by local business, Riverside Junction, with a mix of appetizers and sweet treats. Attendees will also be entered in a drawing for a Lynnville chair and Lynnville-Sully cup, a gift certificate to the Linden House, and a gift certificate to the Zip In.

The Lynnville Medical Clinic opened in Lynnville under GRMC’s management in 2000. The community supported a fundraising campaign to refurbish a building donated by Dale and Tana Brand.

“Community support of the clinic has been a critical component of its success. We welcome everyone who helped make the clinic a reality back in 2000 as well as present residents and healthcare consumers to join in our open house,” says Todd C. Linden, GRMC CEO and president. “We’d like to say thank you again for everyone’s support.” 

Healthcare Supports 1,300 Jobs in Local Economy

A recent study by the Iowa Hospital Association reports that more than 1,300 jobs in Poweshiek County are directly linked to healthcare services. Grinnell Regional Medical Center remains the largest healthcare employer in the county, with 417 employees, at the time of the study.

According to the IHA report based on 2012 data, GRMC employs 417 jobs that add $25,124,245 to the Poweshiek County economy. In addition, GRMC employees by themselves spend $6,786,614 on retail sales and contribute $407,197 in state sales tax revenue.

The Iowa Hospital Association report also lists 356 jobs in Poweshiek County of physicians, dentists, and other healthcare practitioners. Nursing and residential care facilities employ 487 and pharmacies employ 16.

“The income generated from healthcare jobs impacts several communities and counties,” says Todd C. Linden, CEO and president. “Nearly 60 percent of GRMC employees live in Poweshiek County with the remaining 40 percent living in nearby counties. We provide a strong economic impact on schools, businesses, and retail in the entire area.”

The IHA report focuses on the direct economic impact and total economic impact of the five healthcare sectors in the county and on the state level. The five segments include hospitals; practitioners such as physicians, dentists, and other health providers; nursing and residential care facilities; pharmacies; and other medical and health services.

“When you look at the economic impact of healthcare, you can see why health-related industry leaders want the Medicaid expansion at the state level. Each county with a robust healthcare industry will reap significant benefits if the federal government injects funds to support healthcare for Iowa’s low income families through Medicaid,” explains Todd Linden, GRMC president and CEO. “An expansion would support salaries in healthcare, including a boost in income taxes, plus a corresponding increase in retail sales taxes. If more people get insurance coverage through an expansion in Medicaid, it is obviously great for them and their families. Hospitals and doctors would get reimbursed for care largely given away today, which currently gets shifted to others through higher charges. It’s good for the economy to have a strong healthcare segment.”

 The study found that Iowa hospitals directly employ 71,169 people and create another 125,742 jobs outside the hospital sector. As an income source, hospitals provide $6.2 billion in salaries and benefits.

In all, Iowa’s healthcare sector, which includes employed clinicians, long-term care services and assisted living centers, pharmacies and other medical and health services, directly and indirectly provides 321,355 Iowa jobs, or nearly one-fifth of the state’s total employment.

New Infant Massage Class Offered

Postels Community Health Park will offer an infant massage class to all parents with children under the age of one year. The class will meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Postels Community Health Park. Classes will be about one hour in length. There is no charge for the class, but registration is encouraged.

Bring your child, if you are comfortable doing so, or a large stuffed animal or doll to practice on, as well as a blanket or towel. Massage oil will be provided.

Benefits of infant massage include improved weight gain, muscle tone, quality of sleep and digestion for infants.  Many times, massage provides relief from discomfort of teething, colic, constipation, and chest and sinus congestion. Additionally, the interaction that takes place during massage promotes healthy bonding and attachment. Positive loving touch creates many lasting impressions on parent, baby, and the family. Through simple instruction this can become a wonderful part of a daily routine together.

To register for this free class, call: 641-236-2953 or email: postels@grmc.us. 

GRMC Announces New Directors

Grinnell Regional Medical Center recently announced the promotions of Chad Nath to director of wellness services and integrated therapies and Tom Sheets to director of security.

“Both Chad and Tom bring unique skills to their new roles at GRMC,” says Suzanne Cooner, vice president of operations. “GRMC and of course, the community at large, will certainly benefit from their experience and expertise.”

Nath has been a member of GRMC staff since 2003 and has served as the Emergency Preparedness, Safety, and Security Coordinator. He also oversees the GRMC Daycamp program.

A native of Estherville, Iowa, Nath is a graduate of Iowa Lakes Community College and Buena Vista University. Upon his graduation, he served in the Armstrong-Ringsted Community Schools as a special education teacher and in the Estherville Community School district as a kindergarten teacher. Additionally, Nath holds certification as an athletic coach for grades K-12.

“I’m excited about the changes that are underway for wellness services,” Nath says. “Our focus is on the overall health of the community – physical, mental, nutritional, emotional. We are finalizing our plans to remodel the space that GRMC most recently lent to The Galaxy Youth Center to create the new Paul W. Ahrens Wellness Center at Postels Community Health Park. Our group classes are meeting there now and it has been a goal for several years to provide these services under one roof.”

Nath notes that the majority of wellness services will move later this spring from the current location on the first floor of the Ahrens Medical Arts Building.

“We will have our pool classes in our current location and will also continue to offer a supervised exercise area at GRMC, but on a more limited scale,” says Nath. “The new location will offer many benefits, including upgrades to equipment to include functional exercise, and greater accessibility.”

Tom Sheets brings more than 26 years of law enforcement experience to his role as director of security, safety, and emergency preparedness for GRMC. Most recently, Sheets served 12 years as Poweshiek County Sheriff before coming to GRMC in December 2012.

“Certainly there are similarities between active law enforcement and administration and my new role at GRMC,” Sheets says. “This is particularly true with emergency preparedness. We’ll continue to strengthen the partnership between all our local emergency organizations – sheriff’s department, EMTs, police, and fire. GRMC has an excellent reputation as a role model across the state for being one of the best organizations when it comes to emergency preparedness, and that is thanks in part to the work Chad Nath performed under Suzanne Cooner’s leadership. I’ve worked closely with both of them during my time as Poweshiek County Sheriff.”

Sheets is a graduate of Montezuma High School and Northeast Missouri State University, now known as Truman State University. He holds a degree in law enforcement. He worked with the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s department from 1990 until November 2012.

“While there are similarities, there are differences,” says Sheets. “The focus of my work at GRMC is about creating and maintaining a safe environment in a variety of ways and to keep the organization ready for emergencies that our area might face.”