"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.