HEALTH SYSTEM HOSTS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

The Auxiliary of Orange City Area Health System will host its popular annual Holiday Open House on Thursday, November 1 from 8am-4pm in the hospital’s Gift Garden and main campus front lobby at 1000 Lincoln Circle SE in Orange City. The public is invited to shop their bake sale — from decadent desserts to homemade saucyjies (Dutch spicy pigs-in-the-blanket) — and browse the new holiday merchandise. All proceeds directly benefit patients and families.

Named Most Improved Hospital by ServiShare

Orange City Area Health System was awarded the “Most Improved Hospital” at the Fall Workers’ Compensation Program in Des Moines on September 18. ServiShare presented awards “to recognize hospitals with outstanding performance” in three categories. The Most Improved Award was presented to three hospitals with the best improvement in employee injury rates over a five year period. “We have refocused our efforts on safety and employee education and involvement,” according to Dan McCarty, COO for Orange City Area Health System. “One primary reason for our recent success in reducing workers injuries is getting our awesome team involved in improving safety, early reporting of injuries, and adherence to safe work practices.” McCarty added, “Avoiding employee injuries and caring for those who are injured is critical to our Mission and Core Values. If we are to treat others as we want to be treated, we will most certainly watch out for one anothers’ safety, and do whatever we can to accommodate our injured co-workers.” McCarty received the ServiShare award with Shari Baker, Human Resources Director, and Liza Schouten, Occupational Health Lead RN. The awards criteria are based on the claims data reported to Farm Bureau Financial Services. Orange City Area Health System employs over 500 people in four medical clinics, a hospital, a senior living facility, two nursing homes, and home health and hospice. More information about the health system can be found at ocHealthSystem.org.

First Wednesday of each month at 11:30am in the lower level training room at the Orange City Area Health System main campus.

Join us for lunch at the Puddlejumper Grille. We’ll count up our carbs and talk about living well with diabetes. Questions, call Shannon Beaty, OCAHS Diabetes Educator, at 737-5153.

Health System’s popular annual event scheduled for October 23

Orange City Area Health System is hosting the 12th annual “Evening Especially for Women” on Tuesday, October 23, at the Prairie Winds Event Center in Orange City. This year’s keynote speaker is Pat McGill, founder of McGill Speaking and Training Resources. As a member of the National Speakers Association, McGill presents professional development keynotes and workshops on such topics as change, leadership, and relationship building. Her material is both entertaining and informative, and helps her to engage people in different life stages. Doors for the event open at 5pm, with opportunity to shop from a variety of 18 vendors and enjoy the appetizer buffet before McGill takes the stage at 6:15pm. Vendors offering items for sale this year include Usborne Books and More, Scentsy, Thirty-One Gifts, Tastefully Simple, OCAHS Gift Garden, Purse-n-ality, A Thousand Words Photography, Avon, Corn Jewelry, Curves, Genesis Pure, Morfitt’s Handmade Gifts and Candy, Hands Around the World, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Silpada Designs, Vi Bella Jewelry, and Pampered Chef. Tickets are $15 each and include the appetizer buffet, a beverage of choice, a gift, and the chance to win door prizes. Tickets are available, with payment, at the Orange City Area Health System ER reception desk at 1000 Lincoln Circle SE in Orange City, or by ordering from Barb Den Herder, Education Coordinator for the health system. More information at ocHealthSystem.org.

Deliveries up nearly 20 percent so far in 2012

By the middle of the week of September 3, the birth center at Orange City Area Health System had welcomed 152 newborns. That week alone, Dr. Cynthia Pals — one of the health system’s family practice and OB doctors — delivered five babies. Births at the hospital, from January 1 through September 6, 2012, were up nearly 20 percent over the same time period the previous year. Orange City Area Health System’s medical team includes 15 family practice physicians and advance level practitioners; seven of the doctors offer obstetric services. The health system also has two staff surgeons and two anesthetists, should the need arise for a C-section or epidural. Orange City Area Health System includes a hospital, four medical clinics, surgical center, physical and aquatic therapy, two nursing homes, a senior living facility, and home health & hospice. More information at ocHealthSystem.org.

Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that people with prediabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent through changes to their lifestyle that include modest weight loss and regular exercise.

Learn how to prevent diabetes at our
Prediabetes Class
Monday September 17 • 5-7pm
Main campus lower level classrooms
Cost: $25 (includes dinner)

[gfpage form=”other” name=”prediabetes sept 17 2012″] or call 737-5289.

Nursing home residents enjoy picnic in the park

Residents from Long Term Care and the Heritage House nursing home got together Thursday, September 6, to enjoy the balmy weather with a joint picnic in the Orange City’s Windmill Park. The new “trip trailer” recently purchased by Orange City Area Health System for its three Senior Care facilities makes it possible for many more resident outings. The senior picnic was the idea of Judy Cleveringa and Emily Fischer – Activity Coordinators for Long Term Care and Heritage House — and Sharon Vermeer, health system Dietary Manager.  They recruited health system volunteers to assist with accompanying residents to the park.  Some other recent outings made possible by the trip trailer include a fishing trips at the golf course, lunch at Nederlanders Grill, morning coffee at the Dutch Bakery, two trips to “On Stage” Orange City concerts downtown, and several trips out to see the progress on the new Prairie Ridge Care Center.