It’s No Joke—We Have Two New Doctors!

Jennifer Paisley, MD

April Fool’s Day may be tomorrow, but this announcement is certainly no joke: GRMC adds two doctors within one week of each other!

Jennifer Paisley, MD, internal medicine and pediatric specialist, started seeing patients on Monday, March 28, at Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine. Her primary focuses include internal medicine, pediatric behavioral and developmental delays, and medical weight management.

As a native of Grinnell, Paisley is enthusiastic about developing a community-wide program to address Poweshiek County’s obesity dilemma, which was labeled a high level priority in the community health needs assessment results.

In her free time, Paisley enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time with her husband and two young children.

Elizabeth Tigges, DO, obstetrics and gynecology specialist, will begin seeing patients on Monday, April 4, at Surgical Associates. Her primary focuses cover the full array of women’s needs, which includes chronic pelvic pain and infertility, to obstetrics and gynecology.

Elizabeth Tigges, DO

Tigges plans to work with area primary care providers for obstetrical care, cesarean births, and gynecological care. Her office will be in Surgical Associates of Grinnell.

Outside of work, Tigges enjoys traveling, exercising, reading, and likes to spend time with her husband, friends, and family.

For more information about Dr. Paisley, please call Grinnell Regional Internal Medicine at 641-236-2382. For more information about Dr. Tigges, please call Surgical A

ssociates at 641-236-4323.

Making a Difference - it's What We Do

We invite you to check out the major changes at GRMC over the last three years. Donations to the Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign have built the Manatt Family Urgent Care clinic, created a new fitness center at Postels Community Health Park, and allowed us to invest in a state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanner. Look at all the progress we have made and note that those are only a sample of the great things happening at GRMC!

The emergency department (ED) renovation is the last big project on our checklist. The support we’ve experienced from local donors has been amazing, and we are very close to meeting our $2 million goal. We recently received a second round of generosity from Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. The company believes so strongly in keeping emergency services local that they have donated another $250,000 to help GRMC reach the $2 million mark.

Grinnell Mutual made this donation and simultaneously proposed a challenge. We hope this donation is a catalyst to encourage you to donate just a little more in order to reach $2 million. The company ponied up their funds upfront and now it’s time to raise at least $250,000 more.

We can do this—with your help! No one ever wants to have to go to the emergency room, but having it readily accessible—just in case—is crucial. We’re asking YOU to help us raise the money so we can have an excellent emergency department ready to meet the needs of our friends and neighbors. This project will modernize and renovate existing space that will provide up-to-date, private treatment rooms, new triage and registration areas, and expanded support space for physicians, nurses, and other providers. We have raised almost $1.7 million in gifts set aside for the emergency department renovation, to date.

The medical center is fortunate to have abundant support in our area. We have everyone from your next door neighbor to international companies like Grinnell Mutual donating to the ED project, because those donors recognize what a vital community resource the GRMC emergency department is. Help us make a difference for thousands of families and individuals across central Iowa; making a difference is what we do best.   

-Written by Heidi Ramaeker Pearson

Everyone Poops

People are often too embarrassed to talk about their bowel movements. We get it; it’s not exactly a popular watercooler conversation topic. However, the truth remains that everyone poops! And it’s important to remember that while talking about your trips to the toilet may not exactly trip your trigger, your stool holds many of the secrets of your internal health. Screening your stool for signs of colorectal cancer is a must.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of death from cancer according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While those are overwhelming statistics, there is good news! If individuals aged 50 and older received regular colorectal cancer screenings, six of 10 deaths caused by colorectal cancer could be PREVENTED!

We admit that no one really wants to have this discussion. But, reading the following information is the very least you can do to make the first steps toward making a healthy screening choice, according to your age and healthcare provider’s recommendations. 

Screening measures include:

• Stool DNA tests (sDNA) are tests that mainly find cancer, including:
• High-sensitivity fecal occult blood tests (FOBT)
• Guaiac FOBT (gFOBT): Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test for colorectal cancer.
• Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): Approved by the FDA to test for colorectal cancer.

All of these test the stool for hidden blood or other changes that may be signs of cancer. They are less invasive and easier to do, but are less likely to find polyps than other types of tests. Samples are collected by the patient using a kit, and the samples are returned to a doctor. A colonoscopy will be needed if results are abnormal. Studies have shown that if this test is performed every year or two by people aged 50 to 80 years, colorectal cancer deaths could be reduced by 15 to 33 percent.

Many people choose to “forget” about these important and potentially life-saving screenings because of the stories that circulate about the prep for a colonoscopy, or the nasty visuals featuring stool sampling nightmares. The reality is that while it’s not fun to collect a stool sample, the results could save your life.

• Tests that find both polyps and cancer include:
• Sigmoidoscopy
• A flexible, lighted tube with a viewing lens and removal tool is put in through the anus into the rectum and sigmoid colon.
• Tissue can be taken from any areas of concern and polyps can be removed.
• Studies have shown that people who are regularly screened with this method after age 50 have a 60 to 70 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer death than those that do not have the screening.

• Colonoscopy 
• A thin, lighted blue tube is put in through the anus and rectum and passed up into the colon to look for abnormal areas.
• Tissue can be taken from any areas of concern and polyps can be removed.
• Studies have shown that colonoscopies reduce colorectal cancer deaths by 60 to 70 percent.
• Double-contrast barium enema
• Barium is a substance that looks white on x-rays.
• It is put into the rectum through a plastic tube and fills the colon.
• A series of x-rays show the size of the colon and any growths or polyps protruding into the hollow space of the colon.
• CT colonography
• Air is pumped into the colon through a flexible tube.
• CT scans are then done.
• Special computer programs create both two-dimensional x-ray pictures and a three-dimensional “fly-through” view of the inside of the colon and rectum, which lets the doctor look for polyps and cancer.

The gold standard remains that a colonoscopy should be performed after age 50. Talk to your healthcare provider to decide which colorectal cancer screening tool is best for you. You could literally be sitting on the most important discovery of your life. Don’t ignore it. Remember, colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable, and beatable.

Grinnell Regional Public Health has Guaiac FOBT kits available. To find out more about the availability of colorectal screening kits, please call Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-62567.

Sources:

http://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/screening-fact-sheet

https://healthfinder.gov/nho/MarchToolkit.aspx