Protecting Our Kids for Nearly 20 Years

Over the past 18 years, nearly 5,000 area third graders have received a free bike helmet specially fitted to each student. It’s all part of an effort started by the medical staff at Grinnell Regional Medical Center to try to reduce head injuries for children in the area.

Volunteer Miranda Jones fits a
helmet for a student.

Helmets are given out at 12 schools  – BGM, Central Iowa Christian Academy, East Marshall, Green Mountain Garwin (GMG), Grinnell/Newburg, Lynnville/Sully, Meskwaki Settlement, Montezuma, North Mahaska, Sully Christian, South Tama, and Victor (HLV).

Craig Cooper of Bikes to You, GRMC employees and medical staff, and in some communities like Grinnell, the Grinnell Police department staff, will visit the schools and fit a helmet to each third-grade student as well as discuss the importance of preventing head injury.

Children who use helmets as soon as they begin riding are more likely to continue that healthy behavior throughout their lifetime.

A report by the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center cites that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent. Additionally, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that bicycle riders who are not using a helmet are 14 times more likely to die than those who are wearing a helmet.

Those who ride bicycles are not the only ones who can benefit from protective head gear. In-line skates, skateboards, scooters, motorcycles, mopeds, and ATVs all pose serious risk of head injury.

Craig says it best. “When you have wheels under your feet, you need a helmet on your head.”

Grinnell Chief of Police Dennis Reilly
adjusts the helmet for a good fit.

This program is entirely funded by donations with lead gifts from the GRMC Medical Staff, area businesses, organizations, churches, individuals, and families.

A very special thank you to our current list of donors: Anonymous, Duane Blagden, C & K Transfer, Cirks Financial Services, Charlie Clements and Denise Lamphier, Curt’s Collision Center, Ellis Home Interiors, First State Bank of Lynnville, Grinnell State Bank, Heater Lawn Care, Lynnville Women’s Club, Medicap Pharmacy – Jennifer and Kevin Stallman, Ramsey-Weeks, Inc., and State Bank of Toledo.

If you would like your name to be added to this list of donors, we would greatly appreciate your financial gift. You may send your donation to GRMC Communications and Development, 210 Fourth Avenue, Grinnell, IA 50112. Questions? Call Denise Lamphier at 641-236-2589.

I Want YOU

Throughout the United States, communities have created groups of medical professionals and other trained volunteers as units of the Medical Reserve Corps. Established in 2002, the Medical Reserve Corps is sponsored by the Office of the Surgeon General. The events of September 11, 2001 inspired the creation of the MRC. Units are community-based and function as a way to locally organize and utilize volunteers - medical professionals and others - who want to donate their time and expertise to promote healthy living throughout the year and to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals such as:

• nurses
• pharmacists
• dentists
• veterinarians
• epidemiologists

And other community members who can fill vital roles such as:

• interpreters
• chaplains
• office workers
• legal advisors

In addition to promoting disease prevention and improving health literacy, units also assist local hospitals and health departments with surge capacity in the event of an emergency, help with vaccination clinics, and train with local emergency response partners.

Does this sound like something you would be interested in joining?  Need more information?

Please call Patty Hinrichs, RN, Grinnell Regional Public Health Coordinator at 641-236-2385 to learn more.

Got Sleep?

A good night’s sleep is one of those things that we just might take for granted.

A lack of adequate sleep can have immediate effects, causing accidents, impairing job performance, increasing blood pressure, and a host of other unsavory things.

In our 24/7 world, the tools we have at our disposal to make life “easier” tend to make us work longer hours instead of fewer. Stress is a big factor in our collective lack of good sleep.

You may not realize that sleep issues are often symptoms of other health problems that require medical attention. Some reports indicate that as many as 90 percent of people who have insomnia have some other health condition.

Lack of good, restful sleep on a regular basis puts us at risk for some pretty serious issues. Our risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes increases. Insommia and depression tend to go hand-in-hand and feed off of each other, creating a downward spiral.

Talk to your doctor if you have any of these signs of a sleep disorder:

(from the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

·       You consistently take more than 30 minutes each night to fall asleep.

·       You consistently awaken several times each night and then have trouble falling back to sleep, or you awaken too early in the morning.

·       You often feel sleepy during the day, you take frequent naps, or you fall asleep at inappropriate times during the day.

·       Your bed partner says that when you sleep, you snore loudly, snort, gasp, make choking sounds, or stop breathing for short periods.

·       You have creeping, tingling, or crawling feelings in your legs or arms that are relieved by moving or massaging them, especially in the evening and when trying to fall asleep.

·       Your bed partner notices that your legs or arms jerk often during sleep.

·       You have vivid, dreamlike experiences while falling asleep or dozing.

·       You have episodes of sudden muscle weakness when you are angry or fearful, or when you laugh.

·       You feel as though you cannot move when you first wake up.

Grinnell Regional Medical Center offers comprehensive sleep lab services for the diagnosis of sleep disorders. Mercy Sleep Center operates the sleep lab at GRMC with sleep tests completed three nights per week.

Melisa Coaker, MD, MA, with Mercy Sleep Center, provides consultations and diagnosis for patients. She sees patients the first Tuesday of each month in Grinnell.

For more information on sleep disorders, sleep studies, or to schedule a sleep test, please call Mercy Sleep Center, at 515-358-9640.

For more information on healthy sleep, check out these websites:

http://sleepfoundation.org

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthysleepfs.pdf

What's the Number One Way to Train for a 5K?

Mondays and Wednesdays

5:15 p.m.    FREE

Call GRMC Wellness at 641-236-2999 to register by April 11.

Maybe you’ve noticed that your pants fit a little tighter this spring than they did last year?

Maybe you’ve been walking for years and are ready for a new challenge?

Maybe a friend has encouraged you to join her in a 5K walk/run for the Grinnell Games?

Whatever your motivation, we have the best way for you to get ready.

Wherever you are on your fitness journey, we’ve got the answer for you.

If you have ever met Holly Pettlon, GRMC wellness specialist, you know that she is fun, energetic, and passionate about fitness. Holly is leading a “Couch to 5K” program starting Monday, April 14.

Holly will take you from the couch, if that is where you are, and will get you ready to walk or run the 5K at the Grinnell Games June 13-14. The program is geared to the beginning or novice runner and will start with the basics. Holly will focus on walking, jogging, and running schedules and setting goals. It's all about having fun. Bring a friend along and join together!

What is the easiest way you can save a life?

Did you know?

• One donation of whole blood can affect up to three different people?
• Every two seconds, someone needs blood products.
• Nine of ten people who live to the age of 70 or older will use blood products at some point in their lives.
• Our area needs 3,000 units of blood per week to maintain an adequate supply

Life Serve Blood Center of Iowa headquartered in Des Moines provides the blood and blood products we use at GRMC.

Uses for blood products:

Coronary artery bypass surgery - one to five units

Hip/joint replacement - two to five units

Cardiovascular surgery - two to 25 units

Bleeding ulcer - three to 30 units

Auto accidents/gunshot wounds - up to 50 units

Bone marrow transplant - up to two units per day

Sickle cell/aplastic anemia - up to four units per month

Has it been a while since you donated? Thinking about donating for the first time?

The GRMC Auxiliary sponsors a blood drive with Life Serve Blood Center three times a year at St. Mary's Education Center in Grinnell. The next drive is coming up on Tuesday, April 15. To sign up for an appointment at this drive or any other, you can go the the Life Serve Blood Center web site and make an appointment. Even though the actual donation time itself is about eight to ten minutes, you should plan on being at the drive for an hour or so. 

Not sure if you can donate? The Life Serve Blood Center web site  has eligibility information as well as other interesting facts about blood donation and services.

We all know someone who has needed blood products at some point. There is no substitute for human blood and it must come from generous donors who take a little time out of their day to make a donation. One hour of your day and one unit of your whole blood can have a positive effect on so many lives. It's worth the time.

For more information, go to:

www.lifeservebloodcenter.org

www.redcrossblood.org

Another great example of “Here For You When You Need Us”

Medical staff who helped deliver the twins at GRMC returned for a photo with the babies. From left: Laura Ferguson, MD; Andrew Graham, Ph.D., holding Benjamin; Monica Brito, MD; Lauren Graham, MD, holding Noah; and Ryan Dahlby Albright, MD. The team-behind-the-scene were the many Kintzinger Women’s Health Center staff who helped care for the babies and Graham. 

Ask any healthcare provider who delivers babies and they will tell you that babies are born on their own schedule, around the clock, weekends, whenever the moment is right for them. They aren’t concerned that it’s January and that the weather is making for hazardous travel conditions.

Such was the story for Lauren and Andrew Graham a couple of months ago.

Because they were expecting twins, the Grahams had planned to deliver at a hospital with a neonatal unit. GRMC does not typically deliver twins due to higher risks for the babies and often a need for neonatal intensive care. However, the babies were ready to come and the weather was not conducive for safe travel, especially for parents ready to deliver twins.

Lauren Graham, MD, and Andrew Graham, PhD, stayed in Grinnell and had their twins delivered by the GRMC medical team of Monica Brito, MD; Alex Anderson, CRNA; Laura Ferguson, MD; Ryan Dahlby Albright, MD; and the obstetrical staff of Kintzinger Women’s Health Center.  Dr. Brito has experience delivering many sets of twins. Family care physicians Dahlby Albright and Ferguson, who both have delivered many babies at GRMC, provided care for the twins as they arrived. This team successfully welcomed Noah James and Benjamin Daniel Graham.

We have used this motto and mantra for years: GRMC is here for you when you need us. And that is true in difficult times and joyful times and all the moments of life in between.

Adding to your family? We invite you to consider the patient-centered and very personal approach at GRMC. From prenatal care, to delivery, to caring for you, your baby, and your entire family, GRMC is here for you when you need us.

Staying Healthy During Spring Break

It's time for a spring break and many families are taking advantage of the time off for a little getaway.

Whether you are traveling during the upcoming break or taking a "staycation" we have a few tips to help you stay healthy and avoid illness. 

You could also follow these tips during the holidays, and anytime, really.

Eat healthy and balanced meals. It's tempting to load up on carbs and sweets because, we are on vacation. Do stay away from sketchy-looking restaurants. Yes, you may enjoy hole-in-the-wall kinds of places off the beaten tourist path, but be smart about it. Food poisoning is a sure-fire way to kill your vacation.

Don't overindulge in alcohol. You don't really want to have a hangover on your vacation. Too much alcohol can lead to bad decisions.

And while we're on the subject...

It's important to note that if you have college students going on a spring break trip with friends, they will need a few more things to think about for their packing list and ways in which to be safe while traveling. Some good weblinks for this are found here and here.

Keep your hands washed. Good hand hygiene is important at all times, but when you really need to stay well, it's even more important. If you are flying to a great destination or simply taking a day off to head out of town, remember that germs do not take a vacation. Ever.

Sleep. For many of us, taking time off means catching up on sleep or rest. If you are traveling by car, this is especially important. Driving while drowsy is every bit as dangerous as driving drunk. Take frequent breaks to get out of the car. It is tempting to push yourself to keep going but you could end up sick or in the ER on your vacation.

Be flexible. Don't stress about little things that don't go as planned. Sometimes those detours provide us with the best experiences and stories to tell. 

Use sunscreen liberally. After the winter we've had, the idea of basking in warm sunshine sounds simply glorious. Just be sure to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 50 and do limit the time you spend under the sun. Your skin will thank you for it and you won't spend your vacation nursing a nasty sunburn.

Above all, have fun, be smart about what you do and where you are, and relax. Take the time to unplug from your daily life at work and home as much as you possibly can. A vacation should be a break from the everyday, even if you are staying at home. 

For more tips, go to:

http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm049047.htm

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/keeping-healthy-while-flying