Health Care Industry

Council tables acceptance of Highway 3 project (03/18/10)
The Le Mars City Council put off accepting an engineer's statement to the Iowa Department of Transportation on the completion and owners contract for the Highway 3 widening project. City Manager Scott Langel acknowledged that the city had already, due to state legislative direction, in essence accepted the $721,701 project when the widened portion of the highway was opened last November...

MidAmerican customers may help finance nuclear study (03/16/10)
The 7,184 MidAmerican Electric Company customers in Plymouth County may see a monthly increase in their payment due to a proposed law. The increase would come if Iowa Gov. Chet Culver signs a bill to allow MidAmerican to boost electric consumer payments throughout the state by $15 million to study the possibility of bringing a second nuclear plant to Iowa...

Optimist Club impacts 25 years worth of children (03/12/10)
Twenty-five years ago this week, a group of locals came together to make a difference for youth. Since then, thousands of young people in Le Mars have been reached by the Le Mars Optimist Club. "We've made an impact," said Jerry Haack, founding president of the club. "Over the past 20-some years, we've touched every kid in this town in a positive way."...

A survivor, Kooiker urges on final push to eliminate polio (03/05/10)
When Dixie Kooiker was 3, she was diagnosed with paralytic poliomyelitis, or polio. Hospitalized in the Sister Kenny Polio Institute in June 1949, Kooiker was in a crib next to her infant cousin and in the room across from her uncle, both who had polio...

Agri-Business Luncheon morning program features area biotech company (03/05/10)
The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce 16th Annual Agri-Business Luncheon will feature a new biotectechnology company based in Sioux Center. The Agri-Business Luncheon is Tuesday, March 16, at the Le Mars Convention Center, upper level. The morning begins with a 9:30 a.m. Chamber Coffee hosted by the Plymouth County Farm Bureau...

Apartments officially on national historic register (03/04/10)
A building which first was home to a hospital and is now apartments is Le Mars' newest listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Floyd Valley Apartments, at 110 Sixth Ave. N.E. has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. That confirmation was made Feb. 3, 2010, according to Iris Hemmingson, president of the Le Mars Historic Preservation Commission...

Proposed texting and driving ban receives local support, criticism (02/26/10)
As soon as this summer, Iowa drivers who text and drive might see flashing blue and red lights in their rear view mirror. The Iowa House and Senate have both passed their own versions of a bill that would ban texting and driving. However, they have to come to an agreement before the law can move forward...

'A Time to Remember' benefits local Alzheimer's programming (02/23/10)
Jerry and Audrey Scholten, of Le Mars, will serve as honorary chairpersons for the upcoming Wine & Roses event in Le Mars, "A Time to Remember." The event benefits the Alzheimer's Association. The Scholtens encourage everyone to generously donate to help provide optimal care and services to the persons and their families confronting this disease...

American Cancer Society holds Daffodil Days (02/23/10)
Spring is coming early this year -- and so is the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days! Plymouth County residents have until Feb. 25, to place their orders for daffodils. "With Daffodil Days, the hope goes beyond the symbol of the flowers -- you know that with every bouquet you order, you're making an actual difference in the lives of real people fighting cancer," according to June Muth, Plymouth County Daffodil Days co-chair...

Relay For Life team kick-off is Monday in Remsen (02/19/10)
Get ready for Relay For Life of Plymouth County 2010. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Plymouth County will hold a community and team kick-off open house in Remsen Monday, Feb. 22. The open house will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Remsen's VFW, 207 S. Washington St...

County construction means less LOST money for grants (02/16/10)
The Plymouth County Supervisors set aside $100,000 in Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money in their proposed budget to be used for grant requests. That's $80,000 less than last year -- but the county has two new major construction projects to pay for with LOST revenue in the next fiscal year...

FVH and clinics roll out new mission statement (02/12/10)
"Our mission is to be a progressive health care partner serving you with compassion, integrity and excellence." That's the new mission statement for Floyd Valley Hospital (FVH) and its Family Medicine Clinics in Le Mars, Remsen and Marcus. The FVH Board of Trustees approved it during its meeting this week...

LADS Valentine's Dance features live quilt auction, silent auction (02/09/10)
A king-size quilt, an afghan and a tie-blanket will be auctioned off as part of the Le Mars Area Dialysis Services Valentine fundraiser Saturday night at the Le Mars Convention Center. The three items were donated to LADS for the fundraiser. All three items can be seen in the window of Linda Mayrose Real Estate in downtown Le Mars...

Ten Le Mars scouts honored with Pope Pius XII emblem (02/08/10)
Ten local boys will be receiving the highest emblem in Catholic boy scouting. Michael Brandenburg, Tim Burwitz, Mitchel Christoffel, Preston Freking, Matt Klein, Kyle Mangerson, Zack Nemmers, Jonathan Puhl, Ryan Sitzmann and Andrew Theisen were honored Sunday at a Mass in Le Mars for earning the Pope Pius XII Emblem...

Steve King says time to stop spending (02/08/10)
U.S. Rep. Steve King thinks the biggest problem in government right now is overspending. He also doesn't believe President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan is working as it was set out to do. Neither does he favor a government-run national health care program...

Water for Life Honduras (02/03/10)
A local group is about to change the lives of people of five villages, plagued with parasites and other water-borne diseases. The Le Mars Rotary Club spearheaded fundraising for water projects in Honduras, pulling together more than $35,000. That's enough to build a water system in each of those five villages, bringing clean, potable water to more than 1,000 people's homes...

Are we sending bald eagles back to endangered list? (02/01/10)
Bald eagles are being attacked by an emerging predator. It's in the food they eat. Eagle protection agencies have been seeing eagles that are oddly sick, explained Plymouth County Naturalist Victoria De Vos. "They started testing the blood and they are finding out that they had very high levels of lead -- a neurotoxin," De Vos said. "It was basically paralyzing them in different ways."...

Groomer keeps dogs happy in 'puppy salon' (01/29/10)
Tails wag with happiness as dogs get their pampering trim from Tricia Pippett, owner of Tail Trends, a new dog grooming business in Le Mars. Pippett opened her business Dec. 1, sharing space at Town and Country Veterinary Clinic, but has been doing grooming in Le Mars for 10 years...

¿Habla español? :Plains Area staff trains to be multi-lingual (01/29/10)
Employees at Plains Area Mental Health are learning to say "What do you need?" and "How much does this piano cost?" -- in Spanish. It's all part of a new venture Plains Area is starting to help reduce cultural and language barriers. About 25 therapists and receptionists at the Le Mars mental health center and its Storm Lake counterpart are working on picking up another language and learning about that group's culture...

Children take a look at eye exams (01/28/10)
A visit to the eye doctor was a fun and informative outing for children at Noah's Ark Preschool Wednesday. Optometrist Dr. Becky DeRuyter of Advanced Eye Health located at Wal-Mart in Le Mars gave the students a tour of the exam rooms and explained what happens when someone gets an eye exam...

Floyd Valley Hospital Foundation holds annual meeting, elects officers (01/28/10)
The Floyd Valley Hospital Foundation held its annual meeting on Friday, January 22, 2010. Included among the business conducted at the meeting was election of officers. After nominations were held, Bill Bomgaars was elected as chair and Craig Bauerly was elected as vice-chair of the foundation...

Are you missing anything? Yes you are! (01/28/10)
The answer to the question is yes you are! Only the brief highlights of news and activities are published. You are missing pages of news and information on local awards and recognition, business events and advertiser discounts and sales. Every page of the Daily Sentinel can be viewed by buying a newspaper or subscription and this can be done online!...

From biomedical engineering to watercolors: Artist's journey winds its way to Le Mars (01/26/10)
A teacher told Jean Weiner she was born to paint. This affirmation came not during the Le Mars woman's high school career or even her college or graduate studies. It came after Weiner was in her early forties, had worked successfully in biomedical engineering, had two children and had battled a rare form of cancer...

LCS board cuts back early retirement policy (01/26/10)
A revision in the Le Mars Community School District's early retirement policy will be financially beneficial to the district while trimming some benefits to staff as well. It will continue to offer retiring certified staff with a contribution to the individual's medical insurance coverage...

MidAmerican Energy calls for safety, continues storm restoration (01/26/10)
MidAmerican Energy reminds customers to take additional safety precautions as work continues to restore service to thousands of customers impacted by this week's ice storm. Today (Tuesday) MidAmerican Energy reported only one outage in Plymouth County...

Many hands make a difference: BackPack Program ready to fend off hunger (01/19/10)
It took less than 20 minutes to pack snack bags that will fill 140 Le Mars kids' tummies. The Le Mars BackPack Program officially kicked off Monday with volunteers assembling bags of nutritious snacks that will be delivered weekly to dozens of elementary students...

Haitian visits change Le Mars woman's outlook (01/18/10)
Plymouth County is more than 2,000 miles from the epicenter of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti Jan. 12. But the aftershocks have traveled that distance to the hearts of people like Linda Kleven, of Le Mars. "When I heard this, my first reaction was that I have to go back," she said...

Locals urge legislators to watch medical, school bills (01/18/10)
Plymouth County residents concerned with proposed Iowa laws impacting everything from school dollars to anesthesiology in rural hospitals spent Saturday morning bringing questions before the local legislators. At the Le Mars Public Library, Republicans Sen. Randy Feenstra and Rep. Chuck Soderberg held their first public forum of the year, outlining the beginning of the legislative session and hearing citizens' concerns...

Le Mars Area Dialysis plans Valentine's Day Dance (01/18/10)
Get ready for music and fun at the Le Mars Area Dialysis Services Third Annual Valentine's Day Dance set for Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Le Mars Convention Center upper level from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. "The Magnificent Board of Directors" return this year as the featured entertainment...

Akron senior living apartments to close (01/12/10)
An eight-plex of senior living apartments in Akron is closing. The Senior Village North Apartments, under the umbrella of the Akron Care Center, will be closed by the end of February due to a lack of interest and the money it would take to upgrade it for assisted living...

Live Healthy Le Mars offers team approach to good health (01/11/10)
Get ready to get in shape in 2010 by participating Live Healthy Le Mars. The 100-day challenge promotes a team approach to weight loss and physical activity. Local sponsors for Live Healthy Le Mars are the Le Mars YMCA, Floyd Valley Hospital and ISU Plymouth County Extension...

Quitline doubles free nicotine patches, gum (01/04/10)
Smokers in Plymouth County are being offered an option to help them quit. Quitline Iowa is doubling the amount of nicotine patches and gum from two to four weeks of therapy available to callers during the month of January. "I visit with tobacco users quite often and it is not uncommon for them to share the struggles they have when faced with health related issues and the fear of not being able to quit," said Cheryl Buntsma, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator of five counties in Northwest Iowa. ...

Rewind 2009: The worst of times and the best of times (12/31/09)

Rewind 2009: The good, the bad and the blizzard (12/30/09)
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories recapping 2009's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. Mother Nature put a wet (or white) blanket on Plymouth County's Christmastime plans, nailing northwest Iowa with more than a foot of snow and winds that lowered visibility and drifted roads shut. ...

Keep your driveway shoveled without seeing the doctor afterward (12/29/09)
If you haven't noticed yet, the Christmas season left us all the gift of about 17 inches of snow last week. It was likely left in your driveway among other places. Unfortunately, a heavy snowfall can also be the gift that keeps on giving -- like a trip to the chiropractor or hospital from people trying to dig out...

Blood drive time change (12/22/09)
The Blood Drive scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) has moved up scheduled times. Blood donations will be accepted 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, December 23 at Floyd Valley Hospital Lower Level. Donations will also be accepted from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, December 24...

LCS board proposes no teacher salary increase for 2010-11 (12/22/09)
No increase in base salary. No step movement on the salary schedule. No changes in contract language other than date changes. That's the opening proposal put forth by the Le Mars Community Schools board of education negotiating team in response to contract talks with the Le Mars Community Education Association (LCED) for the 2010-11 teachers' contract...

Le Mars man injured hunting deer in Taylor County (12/22/09)
A Le Mars man was injured while hunting deer in Taylor County Sunday when a shot missed its target. A piece of slug ricocheted, striking him in the upper chest area. Mathew Fedders, 41, was taken to Clarinda Regional Health Center, then transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where doctors were removing the slug fragment...

Hundreds line up for free H1N1 vaccine, more to come (12/21/09)
About 500 people were vaccinated for H1N1 flu last week in Le Mars, and another free clinic will be held Tuesday offering the vaccine to anybody that wants it. Last week's clinic was the first time the shots were available for free to all Plymouth County residents...

Cherokee Mental Health Institute escapes DHS chopping block (12/15/09)
The Iowa Department of Human Services is recommending closing the Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute -- not Cherokee's -- in a proposal today (Tuesday) to the Iowa Legislature. Last spring, the Legislature asked the DHS to recommend closing one of Iowa's four mental health institutes without cutting services...

All Iowans eligible for H1N1 vaccination (12/14/09)
Beginning today (Monday) all Iowans will be eligible to receive an H1N1 flu vaccination, according to an announcement by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Floyd Valley Community Health will be offering free public H1N1 clinics from 4-6 p.m. Thursday and 3:30-6:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 22 at Floyd Valley Hospital Conference Center...

Cherokee Mental Health Institute not on chopping block (12/14/09)
The Iowa Department of Human Services is recommending closing the Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute, not Cherokee's institue, in a proposal today (Tuesday) to the Iowa Legislature. Last spring, the Legislature commanded the DHS to recommend closing one of Iowa's four mental health institutes without cutting services...

Free H1N1 vaccination clinics scheduled (12/08/09)
Floyd Valley Community Health Service will be offering free public H1N1 influenza vaccination clinics from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17 and from 3:30 -- 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22 in Floyd Valley Hospital's Conference Center. These clinics are open to anyone that is in one of the following priority groups only:...

School enrollment issues felt across Iowa (12/04/09)
"Over the years we have seen many changes in our state, including shifts in population and demographics. Education does not happen in a vacuum, but within the context of these changes," said Judy Jeffrey, director, Iowa Department of Education Director...

Deadline looming for first look at closure of Mental Health Institutes (12/01/09)
The Iowa Department of Human Services will make its recommendation in two weeks as to which of the Cherokee, Independence, Clarinda or Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institutes should close. On Dec. 15, the Department of Human Services (DHS) will present its decision to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and the Legislature...

Inspired gift: Calling to donate kidney unites two strangers (11/30/09)
A central Iowa man had given up hope for receiving a kidney from a live donor. His kidneys were all but destroyed by a genetic disease and he was spending more than 12 hours each week in dialysis just to survive. There were no donor matches available among his family and friends...

Couple shares child's birth in hospitals miles apart (11/20/09)
Joe DeLashmutt was a patient at Mercy Medical Center the day his second son was born at Floyd Valley Hospital about 30 miles away -- but he didn't miss a moment of the birth. With the help of cameras, a laptop computer, television screen and an Internet connection, Joe, from his Sioux City hospital room, was able to at his wife Melissa's side -- in a virtual reality sense -- three weeks ago in Le Mars during their son, Alex's birth...

Audit shows hospital operating in black (11/19/09)
Floyd Valley Hospital made less money during fiscal year 2008-09 than the previous year -- but it's still on solid ground according to its annual audit report. The report stated the hospital's operating income was $517,000 in 2008-09 compared to $878,000 in 2007-08...

Free public H1N1 vaccination clinic scheduled (11/18/09)
Floyd Valley Community Health Service will be offering a free public H1N1 influenza vaccination clinic next Monday. The clinic will be 4-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 in the conference center of Floyd Valley Hospital. This clinic is only open to anyone in one of the following priority groups:...

U.S. wildlife leaders worry about future during Akron summit (11/16/09)
Leaders from national wildlife groups shared concerns about the future of clean water and conservation in the United States during a summit near Akron this past weekend. "This is a place where agricultural producers, conservationists and water quality advocates come together for a common program," Jim Martin said of the gathering...

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