Progress continues at hospital
Clarke County Hospital invites the public to Come See Our Progress at an open house Sunday, Feb. 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at the local healthcare facility. With all of the changes in recent months and the past three years at CCH, progress is an appropriate theme for the open house.
Whether it is a patient room, safety measures in the distribution of medication or connecting with specialty physicians, Clarke County Hospital continues to make progress and explore new ways to provide excellent care close to home.
Since opening its doors Jan. 21, 1953, Clarke County Hospital has undergone many changes in the past six decades. Some of the most noticeable have been since the turn of the 21st Century, including the past three years.
“For nearly 60 years, you have provided us the opportunity to serve you, our partners in the community,” Clarke County Hospital Chief Executive Officer Brian Evans said. “With that opportunity, we have made a pledge to you to exhibit a strong commitment to excellent, compassionate and personalized care.”
Beginning in 2006, Clarke County Hospital completely renovated the second floor. It added a new hospice room, created private rooms with private bathrooms, updated the nursing stations, and improved its heating and cooling infrastructure to create more patient comfort. The second floor project was wrapped up in July 2009.
Clarke County Hospital completed construction last month on the first floor west wing project. Last week, patients began seeing physicians and receiving vascular and cardiac services in the first floor west wing. The newly renovated west wing is the new home for the specialty physicians visiting CCH, cardiac rehabilitation, vascular services and the specialty clinic telehealth program.
While construction has been one constant at Clarke County Hospital, so has the implementation of new technology to ensure patient safety and expand services. Clarke County Hospital is continually looking for new opportunities to provide services locally so our community members don’t need to leave Osceola, Clarke County or southern Iowa.
“Clarke County Hospital has become a healthcare leader by offering our area residents expanded diagnostic services,” Evans said. “By expanding services within the hospital, our community isn’t burdened with traveling to the Des Moines area for many of their needed medical tests.”
The highly anticipated telehealth program begins in February. Telehealth allows for the examination and treatment of a patient without the physician being physically present. A real-time video link and camera allows you to see and hear the physician and the physician can see and hear you during the exam while a Clarke County telehealth nurse provides the hands on connection to the physician during the visit.
"Telehealth is going to redefine access to healthcare in the future," Evans said. "For our community, it will expand access to specialty physicians without patients having to leave Clarke County."
Another exciting addition to the CCH stable of diagnostic tests is coming in April 2010. CCH will use its 64-slice CT scan machine to begin offering non-invasive CT angiography, which is a 3-D photograph taken of the heart, at Clarke County Hospital. Cardiologists will begin ordering tests that have been conducted in Des Moines at CCH starting in mid-April.
Those attending the public open house on Feb. 21 will receive a tour of the hospital and learn more about CT angiography, telehealth, the second floor modernization and first floor west wing construction. The public will have the opportunity to receive blood pressure checks, sign up for cholesterol and vascular screenings and enjoy cookies, beverages and visit with hospital staff.
“We look forward to seeing you Feb. 21 when you Come See Our Progress,” Evans said.
