Horn Memorial Auxilians Donate Second Room to the Inpatient Building Project

Susan Miller, Cecile Bargar, Marilyn Skaren, Glen Winekauf, Sue Smith, Jane O'Tool, and Robin Thornhill

The HMH Auxiliary recently pledged their support to Horn Memorial Hospital’s $9 million Inpatient Building Project.  The Auxiliary pledged $25,000 for naming rights to the one of the seventeen patient rooms.  They presented CEO Glen Winekauf a check for $15,000 and plan to pay the remaining $10,000 over the next few years.  This is the second room donation for the auxiliary, bringing their total to $50,000 in support of the project.

CEO, Glen Winekauf comments, “We are very fortunate to have such great support from our Hospital Auxiliary.  We are extremely pleased with how well this project has gone. The large and small courtyards are nearing completion, and we look forward to utilizing all of the space come spring.”

The Inpatient Project fundraising campaign has come to an end with the recent Foundation Festival held on November 3^rd.  The Foundation kicked off this campaign two years ago at their annual event and closed the project with their $115,000 donation this year, which brought the Foundation’s total to $300,000 in support of the new patient rooms and an overall total of $1.583 million raised for the new Unit.   This does not mean that funds will no longer be accepted for this project, just that the hospital is no longer actively campaigning. 

Thank you to the community for the overwhelming support of the Inpatient Unit.

Horn Receives NuStep Donation

The Horn Memorial Health Promotions Department recently received a NuStep Seated Elliptical Recumbent Cross Trainer in memory of Diane Schreiber.  This piece of equipment is a great benefit to the Cardiac, Pulmonary, and Physical Therapy Departments as they exercise patients on the seated cross trainers daily.  Present in photo from left are Diane’s sons and daughter-in-law:  Andy, Kim and Judd Schreiber.

United Airlines Trust Fund Grant Benefits Ida County MRC

Horn Memorial Hospital recently received a United Airlines Trust Fund grant through the Siouxland Community Foundation. The grant provided First Aid Kits and emergency blankets to the Ida County MRC members and banners to promote the “You Are the Help, Until Help Arrives” program.  Pictured are some of the MRC members: Marilyn Skaren, Anne Johnson, LuAnn Bennett, Erin Dausel, Rich Salcido, Greg Steenbock, Micki Fischer, Lori Peterson, Nancy Schoen, Larry Albrecht and Patti Andrews, MRC Unit Leader. 

You Are the Help, Until Help Arrives

Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under age 46.  Life-threatening injuries require immediate action.  A delay between injury and the initiation of care can result in death.  People nearest to someone with life-threatening injuries are in the best position to provide first aid. 

Research from the CDC shows that people hesitate to act when they feel they do not know what to do or are afraid they may make the situation worse.  However, the actions most likely to save lives are simple and require no special skills or equipment. 

“You Are the Help, Until Help Arrives” is a program designed to educate and empower the public to take action in emergency situations and provide lifesaving care before professional help arrives.  Members of the Ida County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) were recently trained in the program and are available to present the training to community members. 

Members of the Ida County MRC will be presenting “You Are the Help, Until Help Arrives” training on Thursday, October 12 starting at 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the Meeting Place in Galva.  To register call Horn Memorial Public Health at 364-7311 or Anne Johnson at 282-4426.

Horn Welcomes New CEO, Glen Winekauf

Horn Memorial Hospital welcomes new CEO, Glen Winekauf.  Glen is originally from Tipton, Iowa and is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with 27 years of service.  He brings with him an impressive history of healthcare leadership from his 16 years with Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, and most recently, his position of CEO at Select Specialty Hospital in Evansville, Indiana. 

Glen has a strong understanding and appreciation for rural healthcare and plans to be active in the community through several local civic groups. He and his wife, Tonja, have five children; Tonja and the two younger children plan to make the move to Iowa as soon as their commitments and schedules allow. 

Horn Announces New CEO

The Board of Trustees and Executive Team of Horn Memorial Hospital are pleased to announce that Glen Winekauf has accepted our offer to serve as the next CEO of our great organization! Glen will travel from Indiana to join us on September 14th; he is excited to begin, and we are excited to have him!! More information to follow once Glen arrives!

Horn Now offers PET/CT Services

Growth After Loss Classes Schedule for Fall

Auxiliary Bazaar Date Changed to September 23rd

Opioid Crisis Presentation Coming to Horn

Senior Day at Ida Area Farmers Market - August 31st

ICCBF Grant Helps Purchase new Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehab Monitoring System

Horn Memorial Hospital recently installed a new cardiac/pulmonary rehab monitoring system. The new monitoring system is used for every patient who attends either cardiac or pulmonary rehab and replaces a 13-year old piece of equipment.  Features of the new system include

EKG (heart) and oxygen level monitoring and METS (work-load) calculations; it also serves as the charting platform, gives summaries of exercise sessions, tracks education classes, and takes photos of the patient for identification purposes.

This state-of-the-art system was partially funded by a generous grant from the Ida County Community Betterment Foundation (ICCBF).  ICCBF’s ongoing support of our community hospital is recognized and greatly appreciated!

Present in photo with the new cardiac/pulmonary rehab system:  Megan Zimmerman, Jean Cipperley, Kathy Henrich, and Sarah Tarr.

August Specialty Clinic Schedule

Extended VFC Hours for August

Are Your Child’s Immunizations Up-to-date for School?

A new school year is fast approaching and now is the time to review your child’s immunization record to be sure their vaccinations are up-to-date.  It is especially important for children entering kindergarten, 7^th grade, 12^th grade and college.

Horn Public Health will hold extended Vaccine for Children (VFC) clinics in August.  The clinics will be Tuesday, August 8 and Wednesday, August 9 from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  To be eligible for VFC clinics, a child must meet one of the eligibility requirements: is enrolled in Medicaid, does not have health insurance, is American Indian or Alaskan Native, or is underinsured (has health insurance that does not pay for vaccinations). Public Health is located in the upper level of the Medical Arts Building at 700 East 2^nd Street in Ida Grove.  Please bring your child’s Medicaid/MCO cards. Parents can call 712-364-7311 with questions.

The Iowa school immunization law requires parents to vaccinate their children against diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, rubella, polio, hepatitis B and chickenpox as a condition of entry into kindergarten.  Booster immunizations can be given any time after a child’s fourth birthday.

Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, Iowa requires a one-time booster dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) for students in grades 7 and above, if born on or after September 15, 2000.

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, Iowa requires meningococcal (A, C, W, Y) vaccine for students enrolling in 7^th and 12^th grades.  The change requires a one-time dose of meningococcal (A, C, W, Y) vaccine received on or after 10 years of age for applicants in grades 7 and above, if born after September 15, 2004; and 2 doses of meningococcal (A, C, W, Y) vaccines for applicants in grade 12, if born after September 15, 1999; or 1 dose if received when applicants are 16 years of age or older.

Students continuing on to post-secondary education need to check with their college or institution to see what vaccinations are required or recommended.

As a reminder, it is important to maintain immunization records in a safe place. Proof of immunizations may be necessary throughout life.

Schedule your Sports Physical TODAY!

July Specialty Clinics

Inpatient Unit Open House

Nichols Resigns as CEO

Horn Memorial Hospital CEO Chris Nichols announced last week that he has accepted a position as CEO of Fillmore County Hospital in Geneva, Nebraska.  Nichols informed the Board of his decision
on Tuesday and the Board accepted his resignation and contract release effective August 11^th, 2017.

Before a new CEO is named, the Board has a CEO succession plan that will place shared administrative responsibilities of the hospital on Chief Financial Officer, Marcia Fehring, and Chief Nursing Officer, Jo Hayes.  The Board has already initiated a search for a new CEO.

Board Chair Randy Carpenter comments, “We wish Chris and his family well and are grateful for the leadership he has provided the hospital and community.  The hospital is on very stable ground with Marcia and Jo providing leadership seamlessly until we find a replacement for Chris.”

Nichols just finished his fourth year as CEO of Horn Memorial.  He and his wife, Jaci, and their three children, Garrett (14), Abby (13), and Ali (8), moved to Ida Grove in May of 2013 from Grand Island, Nebraska.  Under Nichols’ leadership, the hospital enjoyed a period of financial success and will have completed a new Inpatient Room project by the time he leaves.  Several key staff have also been brought on board, including physician, Sharon Vande Vegte and Chief Nursing Officer, Jo Hayes.

Nichols comments, “We are excited but at the same time so sad to leave a place we have come to love.  The opportunity to return home to within an hour of where we both grew up, closer to our family and long term friends, was too good to pass up.  It’s a similar sized community to Ida Grove and a similar sized hospital to Horn, but nothing can replace the people we’ve met here.  This place will be a part of us forever.  I want to thank the community, the school system, and the hospital staff for being so great to my family.  We will truly miss this place.”

Programs Help Seniors and Families Purchase Fresh Produce at Farmers’ Markets

The Ida Area Farmers’ Market in downtown Ida Grove is up and running for the season.  The market is open every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 1 through September 28, 2017.

Some of the vendors at the market participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (FMNP). These programs have the dual purpose to provide Iowa WIC (Women, Infants & Children) Program participants and low-income seniors with fresh fruits and vegetables to improve their diets and to expand the awareness, use of, and sales at farmers markets.

Vendors who participate in FMNP accept both WIC checks and Farmers Market Vouchers. 

Seniors who may be eligible for the vouchers must:

·         Be age 60 or older on the day they pick up the vouchers

·         Have a gross monthly income of no more than $1,859.21/month for individuals or $2,503.66/month for married couples

·         Live in Ida, Cherokee, Monona, Plymouth or Woodbury counties

Each senior meeting eligibility guidelines will receive 10 - $3.00 vouchers for a total value of $30.00 to be used to purchase fresh, Iowa-grown produce and honey.  Vouchers can be redeemed at local Farmer’s Markets with vendors who accept these checks. Checks cannot be pre-signed, as seniors must sign checks when the purchase is made.

To pick up the vouchers, beginning June 7, eligible seniors can go to the Ida Grove Community Hall at 403 3^rd Street from 9:30 a.m. until noon. There is a limited supply of vouchers, available on a first come-first serve basis.

Horn’s New Quality Boards Highlight Success with Patient Satisfaction and Quality

Over the past several months, Horn Memorial Hospital has made an increased effort to post quality scores and patient satisfaction scores around the hospital.  Following the lead of the Iowa Hospital Association, posting this information is part of a national effort for hospitals to be more transparent so that the public is more aware of patient perceptions and quality of care.  The information that Horn posts is about patient satisfaction for Inpatient Hospital Care as well as various quality initiatives tracked by the Emergency Department.

Currently there are two Quality Boards located in the main hallway at Horn, one right next to the information desk and one right outside of the X-Ray waiting area.  The board located next to the information desk shares three patient satisfaction scores for entire calendar year of 2016.  Measure #1 tracks overall patient satisfaction on the Inpatient Unit: “Patients who gave Horn a rating of 9 or 10 on a scale of 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest).”  Horn’s average score for the year was 87%, meaning that 87% of patients rated their care a “9” or “10”.  A patient could rate their care an “8” and it would not count as a favorable score for Horn.  Horn’s average of 87% is well ahead of the state of Iowa average of 77% and the national average of 72%.  Measure #2 reports on the percentage of patients surveyed who would “Definitely Recommend” the hospital.  Horn scores high on this measure as well, at 72%, which is slightly below the state average of 75% and right on target with the national average of 72%.  Measure #3 reports on “Patients who reported that their room and bathroom were always clean.”  Horn excels in this area, scoring 92%.  State average for this measure was 80% and national average was 74%. 

Horn CEO Chris Nichols comments, “Our housekeeping staff is widely recognized for providing an extremely clean facility, not only in the inpatient area, but all areas of the hospital.  For overall satisfaction, a patient could rate us an “8” out of “10”, which is a good score, but doesn’t count in our favor.  For nearly 90% of our patients to give us a rating of 9 or 10, it’s a remarkable accomplishment.  It’s a team effort led by our dedicated nurses and providers, but every single department plays a part in the patient experience.  Our success goes back to an entire organization that puts great emphasis into providing the highest quality and compassionate care to our patients.”

The quality board that is located next to the X-Ray waiting room highlights projects that the Emergency Department has taken on since 2016.  The first measure listed is the “Average time patients who came to the Emergency Department with broken bones had to wait before receiving pain medication.”  Horn’s average time for this measure is 22 minutes, well ahead of the state of Iowa average of 45 minutes and the national average of 52 minutes.  The second measure listed is “Average number of minutes before patients with chest pain or possible heart attack received an electrocardiogram.”  Horn’s average is 6 minutes, which is below the state and national average of 7 minutes.  Quality Director Heather Gann comments, “For over two years we’ve been working hard to improve certain processes in the Emergency Department.  The success we’ve had, particularly with beating state and national averages for “door to EKG time”, is a credit to the team really embracing a challenge to improve.  We’ve learned from best practices as well as what other hospitals were doing to have success at this.  We’re very proud of these quality scores – it speaks to a very strong Emergency Department that’s committed to improvement.”

Horn plans to implement additional quality boards at other locations in the hospital and clinics over the next year.  The website  www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare has additional information on hospital quality and patient satisfaction scores.

North Star Community Credit Union pledges support to the hospital’s Inpatient Building Project

Angie Schiernbeck, Joe Babcock, and Chris Nichols

North Star Community Credit Union pledges their support to Horn Memorial Hospital’s $9 million Inpatient Building Project.  They recently donated $25,000 for naming rights to one of the seventeen patient rooms.  On behalf of North Star, President/CEO, Jeff Hayes stated, “North Star Community Credit Union recognizes the importance and value of Horn Memorial Hospital and the essential services and level of care it provides the community. We believe it is important to take part in assisting our community hospital on behalf of not only credit union members, but also all area individuals and their families who rely on such an important facility and its services.”

CEO, Chris Nichols comments, “We are so fortunate to have such great support from the community on this project.  We have received naming rights to 14 of the 17 patient rooms as well as the courtyards, several smaller staff-based rooms, and three of the four corridors.  In addition, the membership drive earmarked for the Inpatient Project has been remarkable with donations still steadily coming in.”

The Inpatient Project continues to remain on schedule with the interior work well underway.  A community open house is expected to be scheduled in July, prior to moving patients to the new wing in early August.  Fundraising efforts will continue throughout the project.  If you are interested in contributing to this worthwhile community project or would like to learn more, please contact Sarah Harm, Public Relations Director, at Horn Memorial Hospital (364-7227). 

April Specialty Clinic Schedule

United Church of Christ, Schleswig, pledges support to the Hospital’s Inpatient Building Project

Council Members of the United Church of Christ in Schleswig:  Gaylen Bahnsen, Brian Sieren, and Jerry Struck with Horn Memorial CEO, Chris Nichols

The United Church of Christ in Schleswig recently pledged their support to Horn Memorial Hospital’s $9 million Inpatient Building Project.  Each year the Church Council goes through a grant selection process to support programs with funds received from the Jens A Carstensen Family Memorial.  Horn Memorial applied for funding and received $25,000 towards the Project.  With this donation, the church received naming rights to one of the seventeen patient rooms. 

The Council shared, “We believe the Carstensen Family would have been proud to support Horn Memorial’s project.  We appreciate the importance of local healthcare for our communities.  Projects such as this one ensure the viability of maintaining local healthcare in the future.”

 

The Inpatient Project continues to remain on schedule with the interior work well underway.  A community open house is expected to be scheduled in July, prior to moving patients to the new wing in early August.  Fundraising efforts will continue throughout the project.  If you are interested in contributing to this worthwhile community project or would like to learn more, please contact Sarah Harm, Public Relations Director, at Horn Memorial Hospital (364-7227). 

Wound Care Clinic Added to Specialty Services

Horn Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce the addition of a Wound Care Clinic to the specialty services provided through the Outpatient Specialty Clinics at the hospital.  Joni Boese and Alicia Heuton are bachelor’s-prepared Registered Nurses who are certified in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence care (WOC). They bring with them over 30 years of experience in the field of WOC.

WOC nurses provide direct and clinical consultative care to patients with wounds, ostomies, and continence issues. Joni and Alicia will coordinate care across the continuum of care by developing a plan of care in agreement with a patient’s healthcare provider, and they will implement that plan through direct clinical care, education of the patient and family, and coordination with other necessary resources.

Examples of the types of services Joni and Alicia will provide through the Wound Care Clinic include assessment and care of patients who have ostomies, wounds, pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, diabetic and arterial ulcers, tubes, fistulas, and skin issues related to incontinence.  They will also implement plans to aid patients in prevention of pressure ulcers and other wound developments using evidence-based and best-practice guidelines.

Joni and Alicia will begin seeing patients at Horn Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, April 11^th and will have a regular schedule of the second and fourth Tuesday afternoons.  To schedule an appointment, call Horn Memorial Hospital at 712.364.3311.

Auxiliary $5 Jewelry Sale Set for Friday, April 14

Urology Clinic - Every Other THURSDAY at Horn

Welcome to Medicare Seminar Coming to Horn Memorial

Meet our Newest Provider at HPC-Ida Grove

Mallory sees patients Monday through Friday in Ida GroveTo schedule an appointment call 712.364.2514

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