News

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.

Burgess Health Center is proud to announce the nomination of Kristen Burd, Director of the Laboratory Department, for the Burgess Foundation Guardian Angel Award.

Elizabeth Cvrk, along with fellow team members, wants to recognize Burd for her hard work over the past year in developing a safe and efficient work environment. They said she anticipates the needs of her department and puts forth great effort in obtaining the best resources the lab needs to be able to perform effectively and accurately. Kristen has worked to establish a standard of accountability, which results in a healthy, consistent workplace.

“Kristen is hard-working, perceptive, strives to be fair, loves to laugh, compassionate, intellectual, and a protector,” said Cvrk. “We are thankful 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.

Photo: (back L to R), Judy Meadows, Teresa Butler, Carl Behne, and Bobbi Johnson. (front L to R) Amy Everhart, Elizabeth Cvrk, Kristen Burd, and Kara Archer.

Burgess Health Center will be closing the obstetrics department, Family Beginnings, on December 31, 2021. The closure is a joint decision made between the team of providers at Family Medicine Clinic (FMC) and the Burgess Health Center board of trustees.

The leadership team, board of trustees, and physicians devoted serious time reviewing and deliberating the obstetrics services to determine what restructuring is necessary to ensure Burgess continues to offer high quality, effective and efficient healthcare services for the communities we serve.

“This decision is no reflection upon the quality of care delivered to our Family Beginnings patients by our OB physicians and nurses,” stated Carl Behne, CEO of Burgess Health Center. “Over the last 5 to 7 years, we have seen a trend in low patient volumes, and the ability to attract and retain appropriate nursing talent has caused years of increased and costly contract nursing labor.”

Burgess Health Center and Family Medicine Clinic providers will continue to provide obstetrical services, such as labs, ultrasounds, and emergency visits. Mother and newborn care will continue to be provided at all FMC and Burgess Family Clinics.  FMC will work with each expectant mother to provide a smooth transition to an OB provider at a facility of her choice. Together with FMC, we will work with Dr. Hamburger, Siouxland Women’s Healthcare P.C., to see expectant mothers in the OB/GYN specialty clinic at Burgess.

“We will use this opportunity to focus on the preventative care and health needs of our communities and continuity of care for emergent situations that may arise with a mom and unborn baby,” said Paul Dudley, MD at Family Medicine Clinic.

“As health care continues to face challenges, 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,” adds Behne.

Jim Westergaard, chairman of the Burgess Health Center Board of Directors, retired in September of 2020 after 15 years of service.  Unfortunately, due to COVID and gathering restrictions, celebrating his tenure was delayed to Monday, March 22, 2021.

“Burgess has been very fortunate to have Jim serve on our board the last 15 years,” stated Carl Behne, Chief Executive Officer of Burgess Health Center. “We appreciate his strong leadership and commitment to our organization, and we are grateful for his many contributions to Burgess’ success. We extend our gratitude and best wishes to him.”

Westergaard was present through the navigation of numerous healthcare legislations, physician recruitment, hospital and service line expansions, to name a few. He also fully supported the Foundation Board and their goal of donating $1 million dollars for the purchase of new equipment at Burgess Health Center over the last 5 years.