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| | News |
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| | JEL Campaign Wins National Award |
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An anti-tobacco campaign by JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) and the Iowa Department of Public Health has won a Gold “ADDY” Award for excellence in advertising from the American Advertising Federation. The innovative “What Town is Next?” campaign won the top honor in the Mixed Media for Public Service category. |
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| | Medicare and Retiree Health Plans |
| | Some employers provide health insurance to their retirees on Medicare. Often these plans offer better coverage than individually purchased insurance. “Retiree plans may work effectively as a supplement to Medicare, but most are NOT Medicare supplements,” stated Kris Gross with the State of Iowa’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). “It’s important to understand how the retiree plan coordinates with Medicare.”
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| | Volunteers Needed for Children's Camp in Shell Rock and Waverly |
| | Volunteers are needed for a week-long camp to help children affected by the emotional trauma of recent disasters. Volunteers will assist and shadow a national team of professionals at Camp Noah, a weeklong, faith-based day camp offered for elementary-aged children in grades K-6 who have experienced disaster. Camp Noah is staffed by trained camp counselors and is supported additionally by local mental health professionals.
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| | WHC Helps Families |
| | Waverly Health Center (WHC), in cooperation with family service agencies and schools around Bremer County, continue to help area parents build up their “family nests” through a unique program.
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| | VolunTeen Program Offers Valuable Career Experience |
| | Summer is just around the corner and brings the promise of outdoor fun and sunshine. For teens interested in volunteering it could also mean valuable experience as a Waverly Health Center (WHC) volunteer. WHC will again be offering the VolunTeen program for teens ages 14-18 who are interested in volunteer experience. |
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| | WHC to Open Walk-In Clinic |
| | Waverly Health Center (WHC) has announced plans to open a walk-in clinic on the WHC campus. The Waverly Health Center Walk-In Clinic is scheduled to open March 2, 2009.
The Walk-In Clinic will provide quality, personalized care to patients on a walk-in basis. The purpose of the new clinic is to complement the care individuals receive from their primary care provider by offering same day care for illnesses or minor emergencies which occur when their regular provider is not available.
The Walk-In Clinic will be open weekdays 5 – 8 p.m., weekends noon – 8 p.m. and holidays. The clinic will be located inside the green entrance in the same area as the visiting specialists’ clinic. No appointments are necessary. A team of area health care providers will provide care at the new clinic.
“In the past, area residents seeking care after regular clinic hours or on weekends had limited options,” stated Mike Trachta, WHC chief executive officer. “The Walk-In Clinic is a great option for individuals with non-life threatening injuries who want to be seen rapidly and economically. The administration and health center Board of Trustees believe adding a walk-in clinic will be a very positive addition to the health care services for Waverly and the surrounding communities.”
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| | Medicare Promotes Good Health Through Preventive Benefits |
| | Over the past decade Medicare has gradually added several preventive and screening services to its list of benefits. “Unfortunately, many people on Medicare either don’t know they are entitled to these benefits or don’t use them,” says Kris Gross from the Iowa Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). |
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| | WHC Welcomes New Foundation Director |
| | Duff Ridgeway, has joined Waverly Health Center (WHC) as foundation director. WHC's Foundation provides financial support from the general public to support the health center’s mission to provide high quality, patient-centered health care to Waverly and surrounding communities. |
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| | New Report Concludes Physical Therapy is Effective for Management of Low-Back Pain |
| | A new review article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons should help convince many patients with low back pain to consider physical therapy as a first line of treatment for their condition, according to Jerod Gayer, DPT, ATC, physical therapist at Waverly Health Center. The review, published in February 2009, recommends that in most cases of symptomatic lumbar degenerative disc disease, a common cause of low back pain (LBP), the most effective treatment is physical therapy combined with anti-inflammatory medications. Approximately 75 to 85 percent of adults will be affected by low back pain during their lifetimes. |
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| | WHC SHIIP Volunteers Go Above and Beyond! |
| | In 2008, Waverly Health Center’s (WHC) five Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteers assisted nearly 150 clients in the Bremer County area, tallying more than 250 hours of one-on-one Medicare counseling.
WHC has partnered for the past three years with the State of Iowa to sponsor SHIIP for Bremer County. The SHIIP program now has five trained area volunteers who provide free-of-charge, one-on-one counseling and information to individuals with questions about Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, long term care insurance and claim filings. |
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| | Susan Kosche Vallem Honored by Iowa Hospital Association |
| | Susan Kosche Vallem, EdD, MSW, has been honored with the Excellence in Governance award by the Iowa Hospital Association. She has been serving on Waverly Health Center’s Board of Trustees since 1981. The award recognized her for the passion she has for health care and her service as a hospital volunteer, social worker and board member. Susan is the Chair of Wartburg College’s social work department. |
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| | WHC Adds Digital Mammography |
| | Waverly Health Center (WHC) is proud to announce the addition of digital mammography.
Digital mammography is the latest technology in the fight against breast cancer. The digital technology creates superior, high quality images of the breast, thus increasing the physician’s ability to detect cancer and other abnormalities. |
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| | Helping Hands from WHC Home Health |
| | Home health care is provided to thousands of Iowans every day. It includes a wide range of services delivered at home to recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill persons. These patients are in need of nursing or therapeutic treatment and assistance with the essential activities of daily living. |
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| | WHC to Open Clinic in Nashua |
| | Waverly Health Center (WHC) has announced plans to open a medical clinic in Nashua, Iowa. The Nashua Clinic, scheduled to open March 2008, will be located in the new Cedar River Valley Plaza to be developed off old Highway 218 and highway 346. The four-business plaza will be located north of Casey’s gas station, adjacent to the planned visitor’s center. |
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| | Medicare Information as You Near 65 |
| | Every year over 20,000 Iowans turn 65 and are potentially eligible to receive Medicare benefits. Most of those individuals have never had experience with the Medicare program and could make decisions that end up being costly down the road. “We have so many people contact us who didn’t sign up for Medicare benefits when they should have, because they misunderstood Medicare enrollment and eligibility or were misinformed,” stated Kris Gross from the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) in Des Moines. |
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| | Kari Doty Receives 'Heroes' Award |
| | Kari Doty, New Hartford, was recognized as a Hospital Hero by the Iowa Hospital Association on October 9 in Des Moines. Kari serves as a paramedic at Waverly Health Center, Waverly. She was selected as a recipient for her selfless service during the EF5 tornado on May 25. |
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| | WHC Seeking Volunteers |
| | Waverly Health Center is offering an exciting new volunteer opportunity in the Cardiology Specialty Clinic. Outgoing individuals with good organizational skills are needed to serve as the volunteer receptionists. Duties for this position include greeting patients and families, facilitating paperwork, and preparing the patient to see the physician. |
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| | Use Available Resources to Help You Quit Smoking |
| | If you want to quit smoking, there are a wide array of self-help materials, counseling services and medications available to help you ‘kick the habit’ for good:
**Waverly Health Center Home and Community Health periodically offers “Freedom from Smoking” classes. For more information, call (319) 352-0082.
**Contact the American Cancer Society at (319) 272-2880 (www.cancer.org), or the American Lung Association at 1 (800) 586-4872 (www.lungusa.org), for a smoking cessation class schedule.
**Talk with your health care provider about resources such as nicotine replacement therapy and other medications such as Zyban® and Chantix.®
**Contact Nicotine Anonymous (www.nicotine-anonymous.org), an open support group that offers a way to find others who are quitting tobacco.
A simple call to the American Cancer Society’s Quitline® Iowa at 1-(800) QUIT-NOW (or www.cancer.org), can also get you the information you need at no cost and will guide you on your path to wellness. You will be able to speak with a trained counselor and receive free, confidential counseling.
“I had never established a reason to quit, but realized my children were getting to the age where they might want to try smoking,” stated Heather Hurd of Waverly. “I started smoking when I was 15 years old and didn’t want them to follow the same path. I wanted to be able to look them in the eye and tell them that it’s not worth it and it’s a tough habit to break once started.”
“I had tried to quit smoking three times unsuccessfully. My attempts failed because of lack of support and encouragement. I never felt I had the right tools to break the habit,” she added.
Heather heard about Quitline® through a friend. She called and the support and counseling helped greatly. The combination of the Quitline® program and taking Chantix® proved to be a successful combination for Heather, who at 33 has been smoke-free for 9 months.
People need to take their own approach, but coming up with a plan, working with a coach and taking advantage of new and improved medications can increase success rates significantly.
Remember to seek help from those with a vested interest in your health. More and more employers are making it easier for their workers to quit, and nobody can provide support better than family and friends. The State Legislature also has an interest in a healthy Iowa — all the more reason to encourage it to continue funding efforts like Quitline.®
For more information, contact Waverly Health Center Home and Community Health at (319) 352-0082.
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| | The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke: Take the Smoke-Free Pledge! |
| | Environmental tobacco smoke, also known as secondhand smoke, is classified as a Group A carcinogen (known to cause cancer in humans), under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) carcinogen assessment guidelines.
Secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually among adult nonsmokers. Scientific studies have also estimated that secondhand smoke accounts for as many as 35,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease annually in the United States. |
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| | WHC Outpatient Surgery Seeks Volunteers |
| | Waverly Health Center is offering an exciting new volunteer opportunity in its Outpatient Surgery Complex. Outgoing individuals with good organizational and telephone skills are needed to serve as volunteer receptionists in Outpatient Surgery. Duties for this position include greeting patients and families, answering telephones, organizing paperwork, and other clerical duties. |
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| | WHC Seeking Community Members for Advisory Council |
| | Waverly Health Center (WHC) is seeking community members interested in participating in a Community Advisory Council. This council provides patients and community members with an opportunity to learn more about WHC, along with providing insight and suggestions about health center services. |
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| | WHC Sponsors Program to Assist Seniors with Health Insurance Questions |
| | Waverly Health Center has partnered with the State of Iowa to sponsor the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) for Bremer County. The SHIIP program has trained area volunteers who provide free-of-charge counseling and information to individuals with questions about Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, long term care insurance, and claim filings. |
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| | Local Responder Attends Homeland Security Training |
| | Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Adam Hoffman, from Waverly Health Center, recently completed Pandemic Influenza Planning and Preparedness training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), located in Anniston, Alabama. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation. |
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| | WHC Diabetes Education Program Merits ADA Recognition |
| | Waverly Health Center’s diabetes self-management education program has been awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association. The program was originally recognized in September 2000. This is the second, three-year renewal of this program which offers high-quality education services to the patients it serves. |
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| | WHC CEO Achieves Fellow Status |
| | Mike Trachta, chief executive officer of Waverly Health Center, recently achieved Fellow status with the American College of Healthcare Executives. Fellow status represents his continued achievement in meeting high standards of professional development, excellence, and leadership as a healthcare executive.
Mr. Trachta has been CEO at Waverly Health Center since February 2002. Prior to coming to Waverly, he was the CEO for two hospitals in Iowa that are affiliated with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
In addition to being board certified in healthcare management, Mr. Trachta has a Masters of Healthcare Administration and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa.
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| | Tips to Protect Your Personal Health Information |
| | As the health care industry moves closer to electronic health information systems, concerns for privacy of health information continue to be an important issue. |
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| | WHC Recognized as One of the Top 35 Critical Access Hospitals in the Nation |
| | Waverly Health Center has been designated as one of the nation’s top 35 Critical Access Hospitals in LarsonAllen’s Critical Access Hospital Gold Standard Performance Summary. |
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