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The West Monona Middle School Student Council put together a giving tree where employees and students were able to donate items to provide to families that are involved in the Learning for Life Program. This was a great way to give a little extra to the families who wished to participate. A special Thank You to Stephanie Fredrickson for thinking of our program and getting this organized!

The Learning for Life program also offered a safe and virtual way to talk with Santa on December 16, 2021. The children were able to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas and Santa read a book with them. There were five families in attendance with 10 children.

Learning for Life is a free home visiting program for families with children prenatal through age 5, or kindergarten entry. Through educational activities and helpful information, this program focuses on your child’s growth and development to create an eager learner that’s ready for school. If you’re interested in joining our program, please contact Burgess Health Center’s Public Health, Learning for Life Program, at 712-423-9253. Sara Keenan or Kaylee Kirkpatrick would be happy to talk to you about this exciting and beneficial program available in Monona County!

The Learning for Life Program is funded by grants from the Harrison, Monona and Shelby Early Childhood Iowa Board and the Harrison, Monona and Shelby Decategorization Board and ICAPP grant funding.

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Pictured from left to right: Georgia Jones, Chloe Broer, Brooklynn Hupke, Stephanie Fredrickson, Riley Needd, Drew Bryan, Parker LaBrie, and Breckin Anderson.

The recent Poinsettia Online Ball was a huge success – raising over $103,000 to go toward the purchase of a new ambulance for the Burgess Emergency Department. The ambulance service responds to 911 calls, transfers patients to other facilities, and assists with stand-by’s for fire calls – covering a total of 700 square miles! This new model will replace the older ambulance, which has nearly 190,000 miles.

Hosted by the Burgess Foundation and held virtually, December 6-11, 2021, the Poinsettia Online Ball attracted 142 registered bidders who enjoyed friendly competition, outbidding one another until the last minute on unique packages and items donated by local businesses, community members, and Burgess staff/departments.

“I am truly honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this organization. The Burgess Foundation has really developed its vision and is building momentum for the future,” said Bobbi Johnson, Foundation Director. “I look forward to being a part of the effort to bring the Foundation to the next level, making a positive difference for even more people in the communities we serve.”

The Burgess Foundation Board of Directors would like to extend a sincere thank you to each and every one of the donors, local business owners, corporate donors as well as everyone who has supported this year’s Poinsettia Online Ball.

Photo: Bobbi Johnson, Director of Burgess Foundation

In late October, Bomgaars held a night of festive fun and shopping for ladies to raise awareness of women’s health issues and pass along a 20% discount on purchased items. A donation of the evening’s total sales was pledged back to the radiology department at Burgess Health Center.

“We are grateful to have the support from our local Bomgaars store and the ladies that came out to enjoy the discounts,” Jenny Coble, Director of Radiology Department, stated. “Our communities rally when it’s for a good cause, and in this case, cancer screening and women’s health.”

The donation of $711.58 is earmarked to support mammography services at Burgess Health Center. Breast cancer cannot be prevented; however, Burgess Health Center continues to provide and invest in the latest technologies, education, and support services for early detection.

Burgess Health Center will be closing the Dunlap market at the end of February 2022, including the Burgess Family Clinic and Burgess Family Pharmacy, and Burgess Rehab Services. The closure comes with a very heavy heart and was a very difficult decision made by the Burgess Health Center board.

Over the past few years, the Burgess Health Center leadership has been monitoring the financial performance, patient volumes and decreasing insurance reimbursement from the Dunlap services. These factors, in addition to the need for building improvements, contributed to the decision to discontinue services.

“This decision is no reflection upon the quality of care delivered to our patients by our providers, nurses, and team,” stated Carl Behne, CEO of Burgess Health Center. “We are making decisions that will strengthen our organization, enable us to better serve patients in the future, and allow us to continue to provide quality care for our communities.”

Patients will receive a notice regarding these closures and explain how we can assist patients with transitioning their care to other Burgess locations or other local providers.

“We will continue to look to support care delivery in the Burgess Health Center and clinic network,” adds Behne. “We will also assist patients who choose to transition their care to other local providers. Ultimately, this is a patient preference and choice, and we hope they will want to continue to use the services provided by Burgess.”

 

Join us for a Diabetes Meet and Greet Tuesday, November 23 at the Dunlap Public Library from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. as we celebrate National Diabetes Month.  Our Burgess Diabetes Care and Education Specialist will be on site to take your diabetes care questions.

Learn more about the Burgess Diabetes Center Telehealth program for patients with diabetes. Telehealth visits can be done at the Dunlap Library or Burgess Physical Therapy office in Dunlap.

The event is open to the community. Come participate and receive a free blood sugar screening, giveaways, and learn more about our new Telehealth services offered through Burgess.

“Our hope with the telehealth option is to make it easier for persons with diabetes to talk with a diabetes educator without the added expense and hassle of travel,” said Sue McLaughlin, Diabetes Care and Education Specialist at Burgess. “This will help give the support and information to care for your diabetes.”

For more information, please contact the Dunlap Public Library at 712-643-5311.

The Burgess Foundation is honored to announce that another Gift of Grain donation has been made.  This is a great investment towards Burgess’ future in helping to provide exceptional patient care.

Burgess Health Center is a proud supporter of our community and our agricultural producers who we rely on to help keep our small towns thriving. We want to make our agricultural leaders aware of the benefits not just on donating to the Burgess Foundation, but simple ways they can make a lasting difference.

Doug and Jeanne Nelsen of Soldier, IA have donated the very generous Gift of Grain. After Doug suffered a heart attack in 2014, emergency services have been a vital part of their lives. When the Nelsen family heard that funds being raised for the Poinsettia Ball would be going towards an updated ambulance, they jumped on the opportunity to donate.

“We saw this as the perfect way we could donate and show our appreciation.  An updated ambulance can make the difference in a life or death situation,” said Jeanne Nelsen. “Especially when you need that ambulance ride to save your life!”

Donating grain is an easy way to save on your taxes while investing in the future of Burgess at the same time.  This can be done by providing a part of what you have grown into the Burgess Foundation.  A Foundation that gives back to your own community by investing in updated medical technology, equipment, and resources that help to keep Burgess providing the best patient care possible.

The Benefits on Donating Grain

If the farmer chooses to donate grain, the farmer can then exclude the grain sale from income. Which can result in saving on your taxes. Here are some examples on how much you can save.

• State income tax savings (up to 8.98% in Iowa)
• Self-employment tax savings (15.3%)
• Federal Tax income savings (up to 37%)

How can you donate?

The best way to start is contacting Bobbi Johnson, Burgess Foundation Director, at (712) 423-9374.

Keep a copy for your records. (This should be unsold crop with no prior sale commitment.)

Transfer the grain as a gift to the Burgess Foundation.  Your elevator can send a warehouse storage receipt to the Foundation. The grain should be put in the name of the Burgess Foundation.

The Burgess Foundation will then sell the grain and receive the proceeds.

Please consider consulting with a tax professional before donating to make sure this is the right choice for you. Remember, no gift is too small.

The Learning for Life Program, offered by Burgess Public Health, held a group meeting on October 21, 2021. There were five families who attended virtually and several other families that sent in pictures of their painted pumpkins. Bomgaars of Onawa, IA provided pumpkins at a discounted rate and the Learning for Life staff delivered the pumpkins to each family with materials to decorate them. Parents had the opportunity to paint with their children and the children were able to show off their Halloween costumes!

If you or a friend would like to know how to enjoy group meetings, such as this, and to learn how to participate in educational home visits that will help your child’s growth and development, please contact Burgess Health Center Public Health’s Learning for Life Program, at 712-420-0054. Sara Keenan or Kaylee Kirkpatrick would be happy to talk to you about this exciting and beneficial program available in Monona County! Learning for Life is a free home visiting program for families with children under five years of age and expectant mothers. The Learning for Life program is funded by grants and support from the Harrison, Monona, and Shelby Early Childhood Iowa Board, Monona County Board of Supervisors and the Iowa Child Abuse Prevention Program.

To learn more about Public Health visit www.burgesshc.org/services/public-health/ or 712.423.9175.

The annual Burgess People Care Community Thanksgiving Dinner has been canceled this year due to the COVID pandemic.

Although last year’s event was hosted drive-through style, organizers determined it would be safest for guests and volunteers to postpone this year’s event. This will be the first time in 12 years that the Thanksgiving Dinner has not taken place.

“Nancy Broer started this tradition to bring community members who are alone or in need to enjoy a traditional dinner in a family atmosphere on the exact holiday,” says Nancy’s niece, Teresa Butler. “As soon as it is safe, our Burgess People Care and community volunteers will hold this event again. This was a hard decision for our organizers to make, but one that had to be made to keep everyone safe.”  Organizers hope the dinner will return in 2022.

After 15 years of welcoming little ghosts and goblins to the spooky yet fun-filled events of BeWitched at Burgess, Burgess Health Center has decided to move the fun to downtown Onawa this year. Burgess will be handing out toys and treats along with other downtown businesses on Friday, October 29, 2021, from 3 – 5 p.m.

“Halloween is a special time for kids and sparks so much joy,” said Katie Ramm, Marketing Director at Burgess Health Center. “So, moving the event downtown and especially outside made the most sense in keeping everyone safe this year.”

Burgess is hopeful to host the BeWitched at Burgess event onsite next year.