So it’s no surprise that people who find reward and success in the hospital setting also flourish in the military. And it’s also why Iowa hospitals wholeheartedly support their employees who have made that commitment to serve. 

Carrie Riley poses by an Air Force medical evacuation plane

One of those employees is Carrie Riley, a nurse at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah.  Like many medical professionals who have joined the military, Riley wanted to support those on the front lines who put their bodies and lives harm’s way every day.  “When I joined, the war had been going for a while. This just seemed like a way I could use my own skills to take care of them (injured soldiers),” she recently explained to the local newspaper, the Decorah Public Opinion. 

But unlike most others, Riley is twice as old as the soldiers she treats.  At age 45, those soldiers are like her own children, who are in their early and mid-20s.  “I think this is a remarkable feat for a woman in her early 40s to opt to join the military, let alone serve in a war zone,” said Riley’s husband, Bruce, who is also a military veteran. 

Riley’s war-zone deployment began in early August when her unit, the 109^th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the Minnesota Air National Guard, went overseas with the mission of stabilizing and caring for wounded soldiers who are being flown out of Afghanistan and Iraq to military hospitals in Europe.  The transports, which use Air Force cargo planes that have been converted into massive high-tech air ambulances, typically take nine hours each way. 

“It’s a fluid environment. You’re moving constantly. We have a place to stay, but you carry enough stuff with you to last a couple of weeks,” she explained. 

Riley said she is thrilled to be part of the military effort and is inspired by those she cares for.  “They have these awful injuries, yet they have the best attitudes. It’s amazing really, but it’s also why it’s so great to take care of them,” she said. “I just want to contribute to helping the troops. No matter how you feel about the war, people are over there still getting hurt and injured.” 

The experience is also made positive by the support she gets from her employer, Winneshiek Medical Center.  “The staff has been awesome. I’ve been doing this for three years and they’ve been really supportive. I’ve been gone three or four weeks at a time and my coworkers have covered for me.” 

“Carrie is an inspiration of service to her colleagues and peers at Winneshiek Medical Center as well as to myself,” said Dan Wener, the hospital’s CEO.  “She is using her expertise and compassion to benefit our soldiers, while placing herself in harm’s way.  Carrie’s love of country is evident in her actions, I am proud someone of such character is part of Winneshiek Medical Center.”

Daniel Miller-Jacobs

Daniel Miller-Jacobs, D.P.T.
Outpatient rehabilitation supervisor
Great River Medical Center, West Burlington

Why did you choose this as your career? I was always interested in a health care profession. My father inspected nursing homes and group homes for the State of Wisconsin and he repeatedly spoke of the great work physical therapists do to help improve a person’s function. After shadowing PTs and experiencing my own physical therapy as a teenager, I pursued this career.

What are the challenges and rewards you experience in your work? Challenges include seeing patients with signs and symptoms that do not coincide with a referring diagnosis, working with patients who do not believe in exercise, busy schedules and keeping up to date with evolving treatment techniques. Rewards include seeing patients improve during trying times in their lives, working with other medical and health care disciplines, continuing education, teaching patients and clients how to help themselves and seeing our profession develop into a more autonomous discipline. 

What are your plans for the future? Helping our department as a newly appointed supervisor, continuing to develop my own niche area in business health and helping others develop their own niche areas in physical therapy treatment. 

How has the hospital supported your career?

Great River Medical Center fully financed our department’s pursuit of doctoral degrees. It provides money for continuing education, recognizes individual and group achievement, and listens to new ideas, including development of a new spine-care program. 

About Daniel Miller-Jacobs 

Education: Master of Science in Physical Therapy, Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, 1999

Doctor of Physical Therapy, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, 2007 

Years with hospital: 7

Staff members say that the effects of the program can be seen immediately in the students and they’re sure that, for some, it could prove to be the catalyst for a future career.

For more information, please visit: www.centraliowaahec.org

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfbEWl2oYt0

New Hampton's new physicians (left to right): Jack Kline, Shea Epperly, John Epperly, Paul McQuillen, April McQuillen and Rick Moberly

If there is a place where the future of primary care medicine is being cultivated, it might just be in the northeast Iowa town of New Hampton.  There, a half dozen highly motivated young physicians, a new clinic and a recently remodeled hospital are ensuring high-quality health care in Chickasaw County for years to come. 

It began in the spring of 2008, when leaders at the hospital, Mercy Medical Center-New Hampton, announced they would build a new family practice clinic on the hospital campus.  Along with providing a modern facility to the community, those leaders hoped the new clinic would help them attract health care providers. 

Their hopes were well placed.  About a week before the clinic officially opened in July 2009, Mercy-New Hampton CEO Bruce Roesler announced six new physicians – Rick Moberly, April and Paul McQuillen, Shea and John Epperly and Jack Kline – had been successfully recruited and signed to contracts. 

Actually, it was more about the town of New Hampton and its hospital being irresistible to these young providers, who had conducted a nationwide search to find a rural, faith-based hospital where they could all practice together. They met while in residency at Via Christi Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas and became close friends through their interest in full-spectrum family practice, international medicine and a strong faith in God. 

Mercy-New Hampton provided them with exactly the practice and living situation they desired. Not only did the clinic and hospital (which was extensively modernized in 2004) offer them excellent facilities, but the hospital’s staffing plan gave them the flexibility to continue their medical mission work – a priority for both the physicians and the hospital. 

“The hospital has been extraordinarily blessed to add these individuals to our staff,” said Roesler.  “They are not only perfectly prepared for their roles here, but are also among the nicest people you can meet.  Their arrival means that our health care ministry, which had been threatened, will continue to serve the area for another generation with high-quality care.  The implications for personal health, quality of life and community development are enormous.” 

“The addition of these six new doctors is a very important, key ingredient to the long-term success and health of New Hampton and surrounding areas,” said Rich Kriener, who chairs the Mercy-New Hampton board.  “We are very fortunate and excited to have these young doctors joining our community. Their medical and educational expertise will greatly enhance the accessibility and quality of our local health care services.” 

A lot of change for New Hampton in only two years. But then it only took two years to plan, finance and build the original hospital – and that was more than 90 years ago. 

Amazing things can happen very quickly when a community unites to invest in health care.

Denise Smith

Denise Smith, MLT (ASCP)
Medical Laboratory Technician
Lucas County Health Center, Chariton

Why did you choose this as your career? I was working in a long-term care environment and wanted a change. I loved working with the residents, but wanted something more. I learned of an opening at Lucas County Health Center and was hired as a phlebotomist. It didn’t take me long to realize I wanted to be the person doing the testing and working with the technology. I had to get additional schooling, but now I love my job. 

What are the challenges and rewards you experience in your work? There are so many wonderful aspects of my work. Some people present particular challenges in simply drawing the blood. The most challenging part of the job is taking call and working a regular shift, the long hours. It is very rewarding. The best thing about my job is everything. I like everything about my job. I don’t see patients all that often any longer, but I recently was called to assist with a draw for a tiny, elderly woman who was difficult to draw. When patients ask for you specifically…that is my favorite part. I learn something every day. 

What are your plans for the future? I would like to return to school and get a bachelor’s degree in laboratory science or general biology. I’m not sure yet how I would use that education, but I love learning and knowing more about the science behind my work. 

How has the hospital supported your career? It all started with my supervisor asking if I would be interested in pursuing an MLT education. Our hospital had a forgivable education loan program for hard-to-fill positions and MLT was in the hard-to-fill category. I was able to take full advantage of LCHC’s generosity. The Health Center worked with me and supported my pursuit of education while I continued my full-time career at LCHC.  Additionally, they offered tuition reimbursement assistance and a short-term loan program all related to educational needs. 

About Denise Smith: 

Education:  Associate of Science Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology from Southwestern Community College in Sylva, North Carolina

 Years with hospital:  10 years in October

Perhaps the most recognized event in Iowa, RAGBRAI is a huge undertaking for everyone involved, particularly in the towns and cities at the end of each day’s ride. Hospitals play several important roles in that preparation. 

RAGBRAI is driven by volunteers. As pools for talent and manpower, few entities match up to hospitals. Inevitably, hospital employees – from CEOs to nurses to materials managers – end up participating on (and often leading) organizing committees. This is in addition to handling their most important mission: making sure the hospital can respond to the medical needs of the community at all times. 

This is a real challenge when RAGBRAI comes to town. For instance, take Charles City,   which is served by Floyd County Medical Center.  With a population of less than 9,000, the city will more than double in size when RAGBRAI is in full swing later today.  

The hospital’s 200 employees must be prepared to serve that population, which today will be particularly susceptible to injury and illness. At the same time, those hospital employees have been called upon to volunteer at their churches, schools and other organizations that are also working to make sure RAGBRAI is a success. Those activities are uniformly supported by hospital leaders; they recognize that the community needs the manpower. But it’s a difficult balancing act for hospitals, which, unlike other businesses, cannot easily down-staff or close for the day (or any part of it). 

It’s no coincidence that on every RAGBRAI route, year after year, nearly every overnight community has at least one hospital. But the hospitals provide more than health and safety for RAGBRAI participants; hospitals are also a big part of the economic health of their communities. Along this year’s route, hospitals employ more than 13,000 people and have an economic impact of nearly $700 million. 

This means that in addition to providing some of the best health care in the nation, these towns and cities have the quality of life and overall vibrancy that attracts RAGBRAI organizers and delights RAGBRAI participants.

Sister Mary Brigid at the Clark Street House of Mercy in Des Moines.

Sister Mary Brigid Condon, a former IHA executive and a longtime advocate for nurses and nursing education in Iowa, died this week at Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, Illinois.  She was 93 years old. 

A graduate of the University of Iowa with both master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing, Sister Mary Brigid was well known in the field of nursing education, especially in Iowa, where she spent nearly 50 years.  She began in Marshalltown in 1943, where she was the director of nursing and the school of nursing and then took on similar duties at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. 

She was head of the department of nursing and a professor at Davenport’s St. Ambrose College (now St. Ambrose University) and Marycrest College from 1954-1973.  In March 2010, St. Ambrose recognized Sister Mary Brigid by dedicating a classroom in her honor at the school’s new Center for Health Sciences Education, located on the campus of Genesis Medical Center. 

At IHA, Sister Mary Brigid was a vice president for seven years in the 1970s and 1980s and was appointed by the governor to the Iowa Board of Nursing and the Physicians Assistants Board.  During this time she served as a consultant to all Iowa hospitals and spoke at medical seminars nationally and abroad.  At age 70, she became the founder and executive director of House of Mercy, a home for single mothers and children in Des Moines. 

A Liturgical Wake service will be held July 26, at 2 p.m., followed by visitation until 8 p.m. at Provena McAuley Manor, 400 W. Sullivan Road, in Aurora.  Mass of Christian Burial will be July 27 at 10 a.m. in McAuley Chapel, also at Provena McAuley Manor.  Interment will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Aurora.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sisters of Mercy.

Kelly Lillie, scholarship recipient

A while back, a post on this blog talked about the newest recipients of the scholarships that IHA provides each year through the Iowa Hospital Education and Research Foundation (IHERF).  

At that time, we wanted to share the excitement – both IHA’s and the recipients’ – that comes with handing out large sums of money.  But it was more than simply being “springtime Santas”; it was changing lives in a very real and personal way. 

More than a few of these scholarship recipients have made it clear that the help they received from IHA, which comes by way of contributions from hospitals and sponsors (more about that later), will allow them to remain on track and on time to finish their degrees.  Otherwise, they might have to work more, study less and maybe even drop out of school, at least temporarily. 

Since that post in May, we’ve had the chance to look more closely at the 31 men and women who received the IHERF Health Careers Scholarship for 2010.  Here are some observations: 

• These are outstanding students.  The numbers are all there – class-leading GPAs and ACT scores – along with long lists of school and community involvement. 
• These are students who are much more than students.  Besides supporting various community organizations with their time and talent, several are also supporting children and working part time (at least) to do more than pay for books and gas. 
• These are leaders.  Many are seeking advanced degrees to advance their careers, but also to put themselves in positions where they can mentor, teach and influence the next generation of health care professionals.  They are energized by the national focus on health care and the role they can play to make the system work. 
• These are Iowans who care.  Yes, as a condition of receiving the scholarship, all of the students must agree to work at an Iowa hospital for one year.  But it’s clear that these students have a strong desire to serve Iowans – in many cases, in the very towns and hospitals where they were born.  As scholarship recipient Kelly Lillie, an aspiring nurse practitioner from Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt put it, “I am ready and willing to step up to the plate, to take on the role as a midlevel provider and be part of the solution for health care in rural Iowa, my home.” 

As our scholars commit themselves to Iowa hospitals and the communities they serve, it completes the circle that also starts with Iowa hospitals, whose donations, along with funds from generous businesses, have made the Health Care Careers Scholarship Fund possible.  Many of these donations come from hospital leaders and the sponsors who participate in IHA’s annual Swinging for Scholars golf fundraiser. 

It adds up to more than a half-million dollars in scholarship support since the fund started in 2004.  But the real bottom line is found in town and cities all over Iowa, where these high-performing, scholarship-earning men and women will ensure access to high-value health care.

In 2007, Stoolman was named one of that year’s Iowa Hospital Heroes at the IHA annual meeting. On May 18, Stoolman was recognized at a National EMS Week event at Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines.

The Iowa Hospital Association dedicates the video below to the life and work of Sheryl Stoolman, a true Iowa Hospital Hero.

YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnysb31IpLk

Lucas County Health Center

IHA staff will be in Chariton today to celebrate the staff at Lucas County Health Center (LCHC).  As is the case in much of Iowa, LCHC is the county’s only hospital.  It is also one of the county’s largest employers.  Hy-Vee’s main distribution hub, one of the largest companies in south-central Iowa, is the only employer that is bigger.

LCHC has 185 employees and a payroll exceeding $7.1 million.  But the impact is more than the hospital’s employees and their salaries.  The hospital also creates local jobs and businesses to the tune $9.4 million, not to mention the LCHC employees purchasing more than $1.5 million in retail goods in the county each year.

The jobs offered at the hospital are the kind that attract and keep young people in the area.  They are the kind of jobs people can build a family, home and life on.  There are several LCHC employees who have been with the hospital 25, 30 and even 40 years.

The hospital itself is also in for the long-term.  The community began pursuing a fully equipped hospital in the mid 1950s.  A public vote allowed $200,000 in bonds to be sold and an additional $180,000 was secured in federal Hill-Burton funds, which helped many Iowa communities establish their first modern hospitals.  The community further voiced its support by donating $170,000 to the effort.  Construction commenced in the fall of 1959 and the hospital opened its doors on May 1, 1961.

As LCHC approaches enters its 50^th year of service, it has become much more than a hospital.  For example, Lucas County Health Center Foundation purchased in 2001 the former corporate headquarters of Hy-Vee, Inc.  The purchase was made possible through a donation from the Vredenburg Foundation, with support from Hy-Vee, Inc.  The building encompasses 55,000-square feet on two stories.  A large portion of the second story was remodeled to house LCHC’s Kids’ Life Discovery Center and Discovery Preschool.  Other parts of the building are leased to various tenants.  In December, 2008 ownership of the Vredenburg Center transferred to the Lucas County Health Center.  By 2009, Kids’ Life Discovery Center had created a Nature Explore Classroom for playground use.

This is one example of how hospital leadership and resources identified a community need and addressed.  It is something that LCHC does every day, as do Iowa’s other 117 hospitals.