ORANGE CITY AREA HEALTH SYSTEM RE-CERTIFIED AS TRAUMA CARE FACILITY

Orange City Area Health System has successfully completed the categorization and re-verification process to be re-certified as a Community (Level IV) Trauma Care Facility. Hospitals must re-apply every three years to participate in Iowa’s trauma system, and based on availability of resources they are classified into four areas. Community Trauma Care Facilities provide initial stabilization for all trauma patients while preparing for transfer when appropriate. Orange City Area Health System’s trauma care services are staffed primarily by the health system’s own family practice physicians, med-surg nurses, full-time paramedics, and EMTs. The hospital also has anesthesia and surgical capabilities. Leading the health system categorization and re-verification process was Steven Locker, MD, Trauma Services Medical Director, and Sheryl Rensink, RN, Trauma Nurse Coordinator. “We are grateful for the skill set of all of our entire Emergency Room team and our ability to provide 24/7 coverage every week of every year,” reports Marty Guthmiller, CEO of Orange City Area Health System. “We fully understand the criticalness of this type of care and the peace of mind it provides.” According to the Iowa Department of Public Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, Iowa’s trauma system is designed to assure that all people throughout the state have access to an organized delivery system for trauma care, and that critically injured patients are rapidly stabilized and provided with the appropriate resources necessary to care for their injuries. For more information about Orange City Area Health System visit ocHealthSystem.org.

On November 14 residents and hosts/hostesses from each of the four cottages at Prairie Ridge Care Center in Orange City made pies for a pie contest. That evening, Prairie Ridge residents and guests gathered in the care center’s Community Center for the pie judging. Orange City Area Health System CEO Marty Guthmiller, Prairie Ridge  Food Services Manager Sharon Vermeer, and Prairie Ridge Administrator Char Ten Clay judged the 13 pie entries. Shown here are the judges with the cottage representative winners for Flakiest Crust, Best Fruit Pie and Best Cream Pie.  The Apple Carmel Pie took the highest honor of Best Overall Pie. Following the judging the residents and their guests shared the pies. Prairie Ridge Care Center, owned and operated by Orange City Area Health System, is the region’s newest home for seniors, located on the north edge of Orange City. For more information visit ocHealthSystem.org.

Prairie Ridge Care Center pie contest winners, front left to right: Gert Kieft (flakiest crust), Henrietta Vande Weerd (best fruit pie and best pie overall), and Ginny Clarey (best cream pie). Contest judges, standing behind left to right: Sharon Vermeer,  Prairie Ridge Food Services Manager; Char TenClay, Prairie Ridge Administrator; Marty Guthmiller, Orange City Area Health System CEO.

The Auxiliary of Orange City Area Health System invites the public to support patients and families by shopping the popular “Masquerade Jewelry & Accessories Sale” on Wednesday, December 11 from 8am to 6pm in the lobby of the health system’s main campus at 1000 Lincoln Circle SE in Orange City. Thousands of items are available, all only $5 each. Proceeds are used to purchase needed equipment for the health system to directly benefit patients served.

November is National Home Care & Hospice Month

Orange City Area Home Health & Hospice is celebrating National Home Care and Hospice Month in November by honoring those that dedicate their lives to helping elderly, chronically ill, and disabled residents with a holistic approach to home-based care and end-of-life care. Home care offers a dignified, clinically effective, and efficient option to help manage chronic diseases that account for 75 percent of our nation’s health care spending. Hospice provides care for a person in the last stages of life, enabling individuals and their families to live as fully and comfortably as possible. Surveys show that nine out of ten adults would prefer to be cared for at home if diagnosed with a terminal illness. Hospice provides families with the support they need to keep their loved one at home, and also offers grief counseling and other important services. Orange City Home Health & Hospice, a division of Orange City Area Health System, includes a team of physicians, nurses, aides, social workers, therapists, pastoral care, and volunteers to create a personal care plan to meet each patient’s needs. For more information visit ocHealthSystem.org and click on Home Health & Hospice.