News

Thanks to the generous donation from the Burgess Auxiliary, the Burgess Family Clinics in Dunlap, Mapleton, Sloan, Whiting, and the Specialty Clinic at Burgess Health Center, each received one new exam bed per location. The new Ritter 224 exam bed design offers low and high positioning heights to provide the best care to all patients, whether treating the elderly, expectant mothers, or patients with disabilities.

Photo: (back L to R) Mary Tramp and Brenda Howland, (middle L to R) Elaine Eisele, Stacie Mumphrey, Lou Hewitt, Rhonda Willey, (front L to R) Cheryl Warner, Beth Kirby, and Michele Waples. Not pictured: Teresa Butler, Jessica Hupke, Aimee Kepner, Mona Pithan, and Patty Sandmann.

Five scholarships of $500 each are awarded each spring to area high school seniors and first-year college students that wish to pursue a career in a health-related field.

The 2021 recipients are Cameron Brenner of Mapleton, IA, Claire Gross of Earling, IA, Sarah Lantz of Moorhead, IA, Halle Murray of Onawa, IA, and Shelby Skinner of Sloan, IA.

Applications are available January through March online at www.BurgessHC.org/auxiliary or at the Burgess Health Center front desk and accepted until April 1.

Burgess Health Center has hired John Wilker, MBA, FHFMA, FACHE, as Vice President of Finance. In joining the Burgess leadership team, John brings nearly 40 years of CFO experience including, for-profit, not-for-profit, and government-owned hospitals and health systems in Utah, Arizona, California, Idaho, and in his current position in Nebraska. He has been Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk, NE, since 2012.

“We are delighted to welcome John to the Burgess team,” said Carl Behne, Chief Executive Officer at Burgess Health Center. “With his years of executive experience, as well as his expertise leading strategic initiatives in many dynamic environments, John will be a strong partner to me and the rest of our team. I’d like to thank Fran Tramp for his exceptional contributions and leadership as our interim CFO. Fran will partner with John in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition and create value in our organization.”

During his years as VP of Finance and CFO, Wilker led revenue cycle improvements, completed refinancing of long-term debt with a savings of $13.5 million, completed a new Medical Office Building for $44 million, and successful implementation of healthcare business operations software, to name a few.

Wilker and his wife Elaine have four children and six grandchildren and currently reside in Norfolk, NE. He enjoys camping, music, woodworking, reading, bicycling, motorcycles, reading Italian, and learning Spanish. He and Elaine look forward to finding a home in the near future in or around Onawa. Wilker is extremely excited to meet the team at Burgess and hear about the great things we have going on and our shared vision for the future.

Mr. Wilker will start his new role on June 1.

The Diabetes Department at Burgess Health Center received $3,850 from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) to deliver a Diabetes Self-Management Education/Support Program to healthcare providers.  This program delivers education and telehealth tools to update providers on current diabetes standards, continuous glucose monitoring, and resources for patient education.

“With this grant, we can purchase equipment that will make telehealth visits easier to access for our patients and provide support for those without computers or smart devices,” said Sue McLaughlin, Diabetes Care, and Education Specialist at Burgess.

The Burgess Family Clinics and Family Medicine Clinic providers and staff will receive education. Also, the Diabetes Department will partner with the Dunlap library and the Burgess Family Clinic in Dunlap to provide access and support to telehealth visits on site.

The Iowa Department of Management and Public Health is pleased to announce that the Learning for Life program of Monona County has earned the Iowa Family Support Credential.  The Iowa Family Support Credential is awarded to family support and parent education programs that are validated through an external evaluation to be in substantial adherence to the Iowa Family Support Standards.

The Iowa Family Support Standards are based on the most up-to-date, evidence-based practice in the family support field.  Adherence to the standards indicates that the program is providing high-quality services that will result in positive outcomes for young children and their families.  The Learning for Life program diligently worked toward meeting all of the required standards over the course of more than two years with the assistance of a program specialist.  A peer review was conducted by trained peers from central Iowa to validate the program’s adherence to the standards.  The Iowa Family Support Credential is valid for five years.

For additional information concerning the Learning for Life, Burgess Public Health at Burgess Health Center, Monona County contact:

Adam Hadden
Learning for Life
Burgess Public Health at Burgess Health Center
1600 Diamond Street
Onawa, IA 51040
712-423-9153
ahadden@burgesshc.org

For additional information concerning the Iowa Family Support Credential contact:

Janet Horras, State Home Visitation Program Director
Iowa Department of Public Health
Janet.Horras@idph.iowa.gov
515-954-0647

Burgess Health Center is proud to announce the nomination of Nikki Blume, a nurse in the Home Health/Hospice Department, for the Burgess Foundation Guardian Angel Award.

The children of Nora Parr and their spouses want to recognize Blume for making their mothers’ life easier, knowing she could always depend on her. From the first day until the last of being ‘Mommas’ nurse, from every phone call and text from the family, to every trip to the house, Nikki was there 110%.  She left her home and family at any and all hours, in any kind of weather, to care for her.

Burgess Foundation’s Guardian Angel program provides patients, family members, and friends a chance to show their gratitude to a physician, nurse, or another caregiver who has played an exceptional role in their lives. The Guardian Angel received an acknowledgment letter announcing that a donation has been made in their honor and given a custom-crafted lapel pin to wear proudly.

Did a caregiver at Burgess make a memorable difference for you or your family? If so, you can honor that special person in a highly visible way through Burgess Foundation’s Guardian Angel program. It is more than a pin. When you take advantage of our Guardian Angel program, you also help ensure the future of outstanding health care in the region.

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Photo: (back L to R) Bobbi Johnson, Foundation Director, Sherri Johnston-McDowell, Home Health/Hospice Director, Kevin Parr, and Carl Behne, CEO of Burgess Health Center.
(front L to R) Bonnie Carlson, Nikki Blume, Pam Parr, Kim Bartlett, and Keith Parr.

Members of the Burgess Foundation board viewed the new Omnicell unit in the Emergency Department at Burgess Health Center this week. The Foundation board purchased this new unit and the operating system in the Surgery Department’s Omnicell with funds raised at the annual Poinsettia Ball, held virtually December 7-12, 2020.

Omnicell is a cloud-based solution and technology-enabled service that enhances safety and efficiency in central pharmacy and point-of-care dispensing.  Staff can review and select medication orders remotely from virtually any hospital workstation and issued from the Omnicell automated dispensing cabinet.

Burgess Health Center has been using Omnicell medication management solutions to help ensure the delivery of medications to our patients is efficient and safe.

PHOTO: (L to R) Cheryl Warner, Geri Johnson, President of the Foundation Board, Susan Johnson, Bobbi Johnson, Foundation Director, Kathy Westergaard, Carl Behne, CEO of Burgess Health Center, Lou Hewitt, and Phil Morrow.  (Not pictured: Tammy Bramley, Scott Brekke, LaRae McKinven, and Chrissy Westendorf.

Burgess People Care hosted a ‘food drive’ breakfast in the cafeteria at Burgess Health Center on Wednesday, April 19.  Egg bakes, muffins, and fruit were served to staff in return for non-perishable food and cleaning supplies.

Employees from the hospital and area clinics came together to donate hundreds of non-perishable food items and cleaning supplies.  In addition, $350 in cash donations were brought in as well. Burgess People Care members Janie Schlitter, Brooke Mills, Sharon Taylor, and Lori Jensen were on-hand to receive the donations.

All food and cash donations were given to West Central’s food pantry for Monona County.

PHOTO: (L to R) Lori Jensen, Di Lenz, Brooke Mills, and Sharon Taylor.

On April 22, 2021, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a Proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Monona County mayors from the cities of Whiting, Ute, Soldier, Rodney, and Onawa joined with the Monona County Child Abuse Prevention Council to recognize the importance of protecting children and families. Mayor Tom Marr (City of Whiting), Mayor Richard Hagemann (City of Ute), Mayor John Larson (City of Soldier), Mayor Shawn Hamann (City of Rodney), and Mayor Lonnie Campbell (City of Onawa) also signed Proclamations recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The proclamations acknowledged that more than 1,540 children die each year from child abuse.  It stated that both locally and nationally, child abuse is considered to be one of the most serious public health problems with links to a wide range of medical, emotional, psychological, and behavioral disorders.  By promoting family functioning and resiliency, social support systems, concrete supports, nurturing and attachment as well as having knowledge of parenting and child development, can help to prevent child maltreatment and strengthen families.  The proclamation acknowledged community responsibility and encouraged all their citizens, community agencies, religious organizations, medical facilities, and businesses to partner in the efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect, thereby strengthening the communities in which we live.

For more information or to become involved with the Monona County Child Abuse Prevention Council please call 712-423-9253.  If you or a friend would like to learn how to participate in educational early childhood home visits that will help your child’s growth and development, please contact Sara Keenan or Debie Lahr with Burgess Health Center’s Learning for Life Program, at 712-420-0054.  The Learning for Life Program is a free home visiting program for families with children prenatal through kindergarten entry. 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.