Ida County Summer Events - GET ACTIVE!

Ida County MRC - YOUR Everyday Heroes

Horn’s “Mock Up” Exercise Offers Staff Participation in the Inpatient Design

 Horn Memorial Hospital kicked off the Design Phase for possible future construction of a new Inpatient Unit by building actual-size “mock ups” of the Unit for staff to see.  Over 3,000 pounds of cardboard was brought into the old Lewis Drug building where patient rooms, a nursing station, offices, and storage areas were built to “life-size” with cardboard.  This 2-day exercise allowed staff to give valuable input to make the unit as efficient and patient-centered as possible.

Chris Nichols, CEO stated, “We started this process with ideas and concepts, and we ended with a very detailed layout of the patient rooms and offices.  It was incredible to see our staff design the details and watch them modify and build it with cardboard as we went along.  We were able to go pretty deep into the design because of such great staff participation.”  

The Design Phase is expected to be completed later this year, giving the HMH Board of Trustees a detailed plan to consider as they determine the next step.

Horn Welcomes New Ophthalmologist - Dr. Beth Bruening

Horn Public Health Offers "A Matter of Balance" Program

 Present in photo from left:  Beth Ortner, Nadine Dutler and Erin Dausel.

Erin Dausel, BSN, RN from Horn Public Health recently became a Master Trainer for the A Matter of Balance program after attending a two day program in Des Moines.  A Matter of Balance is a program designed to reduce the fear of falling, stop the fear of falling cycle, and improve the activity levels among community-dwelling adults 60 and older.  The program included eight two-hour classes presented by trained coaches.  On April 16, Dausel trained Nadine Dutler and Beth Ortner to become coaches for the program.  In June, the coaches along with Dausel will present their first program at Golden Horizons in Ida Grove.  In late July another program will be offered to the public at Sole 2 Soul in Galva.  Horn Public Health plans to continue to offer this program throughout the county at various locations.

Horn Public Health was recently awarded a $1,500 grant from the Ida County Community Betterment Foundation to support the A Matter of Balance program.  Dausel commented, “I am excited to have the A Matter of Balance program available in Ida County.  We are looking forward to being able to offer classes to a wide variety of people.”

HMH Welcomes Dr. Vande Vegte with Open House

Dr. Vande Vegte (pronounced Van-da-vect), her husband Aaron, and their children met community members at an open house held Monday, April 27^th at Horn Memorial Hospital.  Dr. Vande Vegte has been with Horn Physicians Clinic (HPC)-Ida Grove since October.  She is a board certified family practice physician with over 18 years of experience.  Dr. Vande Vegte currently sees patients in Ida Grove on Mondays and Fridays, and may add more days/hours in the future.

Dr. Vande Vegte grew up on a farm in Rock Valley, Iowa before attending the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines.   She completed her residency with the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City and has also practiced at Mercy Medical Services and Family Health Care of Siouxland in Sioux City, Iowa. 

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Vande Vegte, contact Horn Physicians Clinic at 712.364.2514.

Celebrating Hospice Volunteers

During National Volunteer Week, Horn Hospice Honors those who Give Selflessly to Others

Over 40 years ago, the U.S. hospice movement was founded by dedicated volunteers who wanted to bring compassion and care to people at life’s end. This commitment to volunteering among our nation’s hospices continues to be a foundation of hospice care.

During National Volunteer Week, April 12-18, Horn Hospice is celebrating the many gifts of its dedicated volunteers from our community who provide support, companionship and dignity to patients and family caregivers facing serious and life-limiting illness.

Horn Hospice’s 13 volunteers provided 240 hours in the past year to help Horn Hospice care for patients and families in the community.

Hospice volunteers often serve patients and families at the bedside but they also assist in the office, help raise awareness, contribute to educational programs, and provide fundraising support and more.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reports that there are an estimated 355,000 trained hospice volunteers providing more than 16 million hours of service to hospice programs each year.

An estimated 1.6 million patients in the U.S. are cared for by hospice every year.

Hospice volunteers help the people they serve live every moment of life to the fullest and enable the organizations they work with to achieve their mission in the community. Most hospice volunteers choose to give their time helping others because of their own experience with the compassionate care hospice provided to a dying loved one.

It is federally mandated under Medicare that five percent of all patient care hours be provided by trained volunteers reflecting the vital role that volunteers play in the provision of care.

For those interested in learning more about hospice or volunteer opportunities, please Horn Hospice at 712.364.7311.

Horn Hospice Volunteers in attendance for the 2015 Appreciation Dinner

Back row:  Betty Davison, Pam Shever, Sharon Uhl, and Mike Andrews

Front row: Cindy Mildenstein, Community Health Director and Zanet Thies, Volunteer Coordinator.