Humboldt Sesquicentennial

150 years and still growing

5K Fun Run/Family Stroll

July 4th, 2013 Thursday

9:00 am Start with Registration and packet pick up beginning at 8:00 am

$20 before June 21 - $25 after June 21 and day of race

Youth 14 & under $15 before June 21 - $20 after June and day of race

All Entrants will receive a T-Shirt

Refreshments & water at the finish.

The 5K course is flat and starts at Reasoner Dam in Humboldt, where registration takes place. Reasoner Dam is located one block west of Highway 169. Turn west using 6th Avenue North. The marked course goes through town streets and continues on the paved and scenic Cottonwood Trial ending back at Reasoner Dam. Proceeds will be used to support charitable groups in Humboldt County such as Meals for the Heartland, Food Pantry and UDMO Projects.

Medals will be awarded to the top male and female finishers and also the top 3 finishers in each of the divisions for both male and female: 14 and under, 15 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69 and 70+.

For more information, please contact Gary Moritz at garym@humboldthospital.org or Stacy Clarken at stacyc@humboldthospital.org

Click HERE for entry form.  

Lap Band System at HCMH

Humboldt County Memorial Hospital is proud to announce the Lap Band AP System is now available.

If you have been let down by countless diets and weight-loss programs, now is the time for a tool that can work. The LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System is proven to help you finally achieve long-term weight loss! Significant, substained weight loss can help improve health and may help lead you to a more active lifestyle.

What you may not know about the LAP-BAND System:

• Minimally invasive - no stomach stapling like gastric bypass
• Often performed as an outpatient procedure
• Most cases covered by insurance

For more information, please call our Same Day Surgery Center 515-332-4200 ext. 169 

For the Safety and Security of our patients, residents and employees, the North entrance located by the cafeteria is now an Employee Entrance Only closed to the public with the exception of 11 am – 1:30 pm for Congregate Meal serving.

All visitors are to use the Main Entrance

Thank you

Humboldt County Memorial Hospital

ARTERIAL LIFE SAVING OFFERED AT HCMH 

American Heart Association research shows that one in three Americans have one or more type of cardiovascular disease. Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) now offers Arterial Life Saving Screens to help people identify their risk for cardiovascular disease early, before an event such as a heart attack or stroke occur.

 The screening package includes four screens, costs $99 and takes less than an hour to complete. The first screen is an ultrasound exam that shows plaque build-up in the carotid arteries, which are the main blood suppliers to the brain, and assesses the risk for stroke. The second screen is also an ultrasound exam that shows if the aorta (the largest artery in the body) is weakened and enlarged, leading to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. A ruptured aorta can cause blood loss, shock, and death. The third screen takes blood pressures on the upper arms and ankles to check for blockages in the legs and detect Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), also known as hardening of the arteries. People with PAD have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. The fourth screen is a total cholesterol test. Optimal levels of cholesterol are necessary for proper body cell function. However, cholesterol can build up, eventually narrowing or blocking the arteries and causing atherosclerosis, which is a condition responsible for 97% of heart attacks.

 All screens are done by ultrasound or a blood draw and have absolutely no radiation exposure. Additionally, a board certified radiologist reviews all the results to determine if they are within normal or abnormal ranges. These results are then sent to the patient within 10 days. This is a great screening package that gives you and your physician a lot of information for only $99. It’s a proactive way to know the specific steps you should take to improve or take charge of your overall cardiovascular health.”  

 Anyone that has two or more of these conditions may benefit from the Arterial Life Saving Screening package:

 • Over 40-years old                                                • Cigarette smoking

• More than 20 pounds overweight                            • Diabetes

• Family history of stroke                                        • High blood pressure

• Family history of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm         • Inactive lifestyle

• High cholesterol                                                   • Heart disease

Those interested in more information or in making an appointment are encouraged to call the Radiology Department at HCMH 515-332-4200

Nurse's Station Complete

HCMH Maintenance Department has complete the expansion and renovation of the nurse's station. A very welcoming design features a reception desk for the ward clerk. Behind the front counter are two work stations for the nurse's on duty along with work stations for the Physicians.

Patient Care coordinator Kelly Smith-Larson also has her own work area. The expansion also has a conference room attached. Julie Carlson, Director of Nursing would like to thank the Maintenance Department for all the hard work and time in completing a beautiful new area.  

Humboldt County Memorial Hospital on the Journey to High Performance.

Michelle Gloss, Improvement Manager from Press Ganey Associates Congratulates Humboldt County Memorial Hospital on our efforts, which have resulted in statistically significant improvement for HCMH. "Your hard work and dedication to quality improvement are evident in the increase of your Emergency Department scores for Overall Satisfaction. The mean score has increased by 5.3, which is statistically significant. Press Ganey recognizes that change was not random, but due to some change within your facility. Your patients have recognized this change!"

HCMH CEO Rob Colerick "We are very proud of the hard work the staff is doing to meeting to expectations of our patients".

HCMH Radiology Department completes installation of a new 16 slice CT scanner. 

The BrightSpeed Series by General Electric benefits both practitioners and patients. BrightSpeed maintains the optimal speed, power and resolution needed to aid in non-invasive diagnoses from colon cancer to cardiovascular disease.

Radiology Director Stacy Clarken commented on the new CT scanner. "The new BrightSpeed Elite Enhanced CT Scanner offers a balanced design enabling it to deliver four very important things all at once that being enhanced clinical performance, excellent image quality, broadened coverage, and maximum exam speed".

Did you know that colon cancer is the 2^nd most common cancer in the United States? 

 Did you know that this year 13,000 young men and women were diagnosed with colon cancer? 

These are all questions we should be aware of.  March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month.  The surgery department here at HCMH has put together a public campaign to encourage everyone to have a screening colonoscopy.  You will notice posters, pins, shirts, radio and newspaper ads encouraging everyone to be aware of the simplicity of screening for colon cancer.  Don't be a statistic...call for yours today! 515-332-4200 ext. 169

Laboratory Gets Highest Marks

                                                                        On January 25, 2011, the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Laboratory was subject to a bi-annual inspection under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment "CLIA". CLIA is a Federal law that sets standards for all laboratories that do testing on human specimens. HCMH laboratory is categorized as a "High Complexity Lab", the highest category of laboratory with the highest standards. The survey was very comprehensive; some of the area's looked at where: personnel qualification, continuing education, verification of testing personnel competence, instrument maintenance, calibration of instruments, quality control, proficiency testing, quality of tests results and test turnaround time.

HCMH laboratory passed the inspection with no deficiencies and no recommendations.   Laboratory Director Phil Rose stated, "I'm very lucky to have employees that are so committed to maintaining high standards . The inspection result is truly a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the laboratory staff"  

 Laboratory staff is: Phil Rose, Ann Almond, Sherry Kunert, Helen Collins, Jamie Shiflett, Angie Nekvinda, Hannah Grant and Brad Albertz

HCMH Auxiliary presents

Genevieve's Place

Genevieve's Place serve's fresh baked pastries and cookies along with coffee, tea and cappuccino.

Hours are Monday thru Friday 8 a.m.to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

 HCMH Maintenance Department has completed the renovation and update of the lobby and registration area. Designed for patient registration privacy and a warm welcome, our visitors have made several favorable comments.

Berryhill Center

for Mental Health

The Berryhill Center for Mental Health now has outreach clinics offering a wide range of outpatient services. The Center serves people emotional and mental health problems, from short term personal and family problems to the most disabling illness.

Whether you know someone who needs mental health or substance abuse help or wondering if you may need some assistance, the Berryhill Center for Mental Health is here for you.

We offer a complete range of mental health services with treatment specifically designed for each client and their needs.

The Berryhill Center for Mental Health now offers outreach clinics at Humboldt County Memorial Hospital.

For information or to make an appointment, please call:

800-482-8305 or 515-955-7171

trmc.org/berryhill

Iowa Hospital Community Benefit Exceeds $1.2 Billion

A statewide survey by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) shows Iowa hospitals provided community benefits in 2009 valued at more than $1.2 billion.

Community benefits are activities designed to improve health status and provide greater access to health care.  Along with uncompensated care (which is made up of both charity care and bad debt), community benefits include such services and programs as health screenings, support groups, counseling, immunizations, nutritional services and transportation programs.  The total value of these services, as reported in the survey, was nearly $147 million. 

All 118 of Iowa’s community hospitals participated in the survey.

The programs and services accounted for in the survey were implemented in direct response to the needs of individual communities as well as entire counties and regions.  Many of these programs and services simply would not exist without hospital support and leadership, said IHA President Kirk Norris.

But the ability of Iowa hospitals to respond to such needs is being hindered by the ongoing economic downturn as well as by huge losses inflicted upon hospitals by Medicare and Medicaid.

Total uncompensated care in 2009, including charity care and bad debt, was valued at more than $796.4 million, an increase of $85.9 million (15.8 percent) over 2008.

Meanwhile, Medicare and Medicaid, which represent about 60 percent of all hospital revenue in Iowa, created approximately $310 million in losses for the state’s hospitals during 2009.

Federal health care reform legislation passed earlier this year moved Medicare several steps toward a payment system that recognizes and rewards high-quality, low-cost providers like Iowa hospitals.  Studies have shown that as much as 30 percent of health care is wasted by either being duplicative or ineffective and that some states, including Iowa, do a much better job of providing efficient care.  Reducing that waste would save billions of dollars, which could be directed toward providing coverage for the uninsured.

“Mechanisms are now in place to better ensure fair treatment from Medicare for high-value health care providers like Iowa hospitals,” Norris said.  “We are also buoyed by the appointment of Donald Berwick to administer the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  Dr. Berwick has an unparalleled reputation for leading and inspiring changes that increase health care value.”

The Iowa Hospital Association is a voluntary membership organization representing hospital and health system interests to business, government and consumer audiences.  All 118 community hospitals in Iowa, with more than 74,000 employees and a $6.1 billion impact on the state’s economy, are IHA members.

The Humboldt Co Mem Hospital Ambulance service purchased a new vehicle which was put into service in May 2010.  

The HCMH ambulance service recently completed its annual state inspection and received a zero deficiency report.   Our service is one of two that received such a high rating in Region 2 which included 102 ambulance services. 

Congrats to Mike Sexe and his crew for their excellent work!

The service is looking forward to a new ambulance due for delivery this spring.   The EMS crew responses to approximately 600 calls for assistance each year with 2 ambulances being staffed 24/7.