RIBBON CUTTING AND TOURS OF NEW CARE CENTER SLATED FOR OCTOBER 15

 Public is invited to share in the opening of Prairie Ridge Care Center

The public is invited to a ribbon cutting and tours of the new Prairie Ridge Care Center — owned and operated by Orange City Area Health System — on Tuesday  October 15. Ribbon cutting and presentations by Orange City’s Mayor Les Douma and Orange City Area Health System COO Dan McCarty and Director of Senior Care Char TenClay will take place at 4:30pm. Following the ceremony, the public will be offered tours of the facility from 5-9pm, with guided tours at 5:30 and 6:00.

“We are extremely excited to open our new home for seniors,” says McCarty. “The focus on Prairie Ridge has been and will continue to be on resident-centered care, creating an environment for our seniors as similar to their home life as practical, a place where they can live and thrive.”

Prairie Ridge Care Center, Northwest Iowa’s newest home for seniors, features 82,000 square feet, consisting of four “cottages.” All of the 83 resident rooms and bathrooms in the facility are spacious and private. Special features — including a play area for children, a treat shoppe, water and aquarium features, and warm, homey gathering spaces — are designed with the residents’ quality of life in mind. “The main focus of this project is to create a nursing home that feels more like the residents’ previous homes,” explains TenClay, “to help make their time with us a time of living.”

Prairie Ridge Care Center, which replaces Orange City’s two current nursing homes, cost $18.5 Million, financed by Orange City Area Health System, debt financing, and generous donations from the communities served by the new senior care center. “Prairie Ridge would not be possible without the support of citizens in the area,” says McCarty. “We were so blessed to raise over$3 million toward the completion of the care center, and we want to again thank all those who supported this project in any way.”

Residents will be moving into Prairie Ridge on October 17. The address is 1005 7th Street NE in Orange City. The main phone number for Prairie Ridge is 712-707-6000.

Provide coordinated care for diabetes patients and outpatient nutrition services

Olivia Chapman, BSN, and Jennifer Lincecum, RD/LD/LN, have joined Orange City Area Health System’s patient care team to offer expanded services and a coordinated care approach to wellness, disease prevention, and maintenance. Chapman is the health system’s new Diabetes Care Coordinator. Lincecum is a Registered Dietitian, providing outpatient nutrition services through CK Consulting Inc. Together with Registered Dietitian Char Kooima, CK Consulting — who provides inpatient and senior care nutrition services – these professionals offer a team approach to personalized control of diabetes, obesity, and other health issues and chronic diseases.

Chapman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Dordt College, and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Nursing Health Care Administration as well as becoming a Certified Diabetic Educator. Chapman joined the nursing staff at Orange City Area Health System in 2004. In her new role as Diabetes Care Coordinator, she will partner with pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations in the management of their diabetes. “I hope to coordinate care with individuals and our medical staff in a way that improves patient outcomes,” she states, “and to serve as a health coach to people with pre-diabetes and diabetes.”

Lincecum is a licensed Registered Dietitian in Iowa and South Dakota. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Food Science from Iowa State University, and interned at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Lincecum offers medical nutrition therapy as part of the health system’s outpatient services, including diabetes education, weight management, cardiovascular disease, and eating disorders consultation. “I look forward to working closely with individuals — from those with diabetes to weight management issues — as  well as with our medical staff to create healthy eating plans based on their individual nutritional needs and medical history,” reports Lincecum.

More information about Orange City Area Health System’s diabetes care and nutrition support services can be found at ocHealthSystem.org or by visiting with your family practice physician.