October 13, 2005

Kahn elected as IHA Board Chair

Gary Kahn, a Trustee at SkiffMedical Center, has beenelected as Chair of the Iowa

Hospital Association (IHA) Board ofOfficers and Trustees. Kahn is thefirst hospital trustee chosen to leadthe IHA Board in its 76-year history.

A Newton native, Kahn beenPresident at First Newton NationalBank since 1989, having started withthe bank in 1977. At Skiff MedicalCenter, he is the Chair of the hospi-

tal’s foundation board and formerchair of the hospital board. A mem-ber of the IHA Board since 2000,Kahn is also a member of theAmerican Hospital AssociationCommittee on Governance.

“Everyone in this room has done their civic duty andserved on many boards,” Kahn told a group of hospital

Lothe receivesExcellence inLeadership Award

Eric Lothe, President ofSkiff Medical Center inNewton, has received the

Iowa Hospital Association’shighest honor.

“Everyone in the Iowa hospitalcommunity who’s worked withEric knows that Skiff has a spe-cial leader,” said Allan Zastrow,the Keokuk hospital administra-tor who presented Lothe withthe IHA’s Excellence inLeadership Award given eachyear to an Iowa hospital leader.

In choosing Lothe, a panel ofhospital administrators creditedhim for Skiff’s growing marketshare, the continual recruitment of new physicians tothe community, the creation of the new Monarch

The Skiff Medical Center UnitedWay campaign kicks off onFriday October 14 and promis-

es to be bigger and better than ever!This year’s campaign theme is“Building a Strong, HealthyCommunity,” tying in with Skiff’srole as the health care leader in ourcommunity. The campaign will runthrough October 31.

Your pledge, made through payrolldeduction or cash donation, will helphundreds of people throughout JasperCounty. Agencies served includeHospice of Jasper County, Boy Scouts,Girl Scouts, Red Cross, ProgressIndustries, ACES Teen Center,Salvation Army, Kid Assist, CapstoneSubstance Abuse Prevention, Parentsas Teachers, Big Brothers and BigSisters, Willowbrook Adult Day Care,

Skiff Medical Center board member Gary Kahn (left)and President Eric Lothe were each honored by theIowa Hospital Association last week. Kahn becamethe first Iowa hospital trustee to chair the IHA boardof directors, while Lothe received the IHA’s presti-gious Excellence in Leadership award.

Peck Child Care and more!Skiff Medical Center’s goal is to

raise over $17,200 of the overallUnited Way goal of $418,000 forJasper County. Your support willdrive our commitment of “Building aStrong, Healthy Community.”

Your department manager will dis-tribute United Way pledge cards andbrochures. Please take a few minutesto read the brochure and considermaking a pledge!

All employees who turn in theirpledges by Monday October 17 willreceive a United Way “WhatMatters” cup filled with tasty treats!

2005 United Way campaign kicks off at Skiff Medical Center on October 14th!

United Way teams Our 2005 United Way Construction

Crews (teams) are:Crew # 1 - Nursing Services, ER Doctor’s, O.R., Dr. Bossard’s officeCrew # 2 – Laboratory, Radiology, Health Information Management.Crew # 3 - Pharmacy, Respiratory Care, Social Services.Crew # 4 – Home Care.Crew # 5 – PM&R, Rehabilitation, Occupational Health, Cardiac Rehab.Crew # 6 – Nutrition Services, Facilities ManagementCrew # 7 - Administration, Business Office, Materials Management, Information Technology, Data Processing, Baxter, Monroe, and Colfax Health Services.

(Please turn to page 5) (Please turn to page 5)

See page 7 for a list of United Way prizes!

(Please turn to page 7)

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Skiff birthdaysJen Adams Oct. 13Patty Dykstra Oct. 14Tom Tinnermeier Oct. 15Dianna Machin Oct. 19Susan Simpson Oct. 19Teresa Hiemstra Oct. 20Carinne Osborn Oct. 20Vicki Blodgett Oct. 23Connie Thompson Oct. 25Sherry Wharff Oct. 26Bob DeBruyn Oct. 27Bobbi Patton Oct. 29Jennifer Mehmen Oct. 30

Learn about flexible spending accounts on Oct. 25

RD Drenkow, who administer Skiff’sFlexible Spending Accounts (cafeteriabenefits plan) will be at Skiff Tuesday,October 25, 2005 to present informationon why you should consider using thisbenefit and how flexible spendingaccounts work.

Representatives from RD Drenkow willbe available for one-on-one meetingsbetween 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., andbetween 1:00 and 2:30 p.m. to ask specif-ic individual questions.

A group presentation will be made at11:30 a.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. in theformer Assisted Living Unit DiningRoom.

Questions regarding the medical ordependent accounts can be directed toRD Drenkow at 800-383-1623 or stop byand speak with a representative onTuesday, October 25.

Our sympathy

• To Cindy Abel ofMonroe Health Services,on the death of hermother.

• To KarlaMackerman, on thedeath of her sister-in-law, Nancy Mackermanof Reasnor, and heruncle, KeithKleinendorst ofCalifornia.

• To Nancy Blumeyer,on the death of hergrandmother.

Five win Healthy U prizesFive Skiff Medical Center employees

have won Healthy U prizes for themonth of September by participating inopportunities toimprove theiroverall healthand well-being.They are:

• Jayne Goos -$25.00 HealthyU gift certificate

• Colleen Jacobsen - Exercise ball• Connie Kaldenberg - Speed rope,

hand weights and pedometer• Annette Sheets - Subscription for a

health-related magazine• Kate Smith - Cookbook and $15.00

catering certificateRemember to participate in more

healthy activities during the month ofOctober and complete the incentiveprize form and drop it in a secured boxin the cafeteria or Human Resources.You may be a lucky winner!

What kind of activities qualify for theincentive prizes? Anything from signingup for a Fitness Frenzy, to visiting yourdoctor for a recommended screening orannual physical, to visiting with a nutri-tion counselor or joining WeightWatchers @Work and attending a weeklysession.

If you have any questions on whetheran activity qualifies, contact GenaGarber or Deb Nilles.

Team forming for Living HistoryFarms race

If you are interested inrunning with a group ofSkiff employees in theNov. 19 Living HistoryFarms run, please con-tact Gena Garber inHuman Resources. Thefestive 10-K cross-coun-try event typically draws4,000 runners, and isseen as a fun, season-ending race for many.

For more informationabout the race, visitwww.fitnesssports.com.

Get 22 cents per mile to andfrom medical services

If you participate in the medical cafeteriaplan through RD Drenkow & Co., you canbe reimbursed for mileage to and fromyour medical appointments.

The cafeteria benefits plan provides 22cents per mile for visits to the doctor, hos-pital, chiropractor, pharmacy, vision cen-ter, etc. Simply keep track of yourmileage, and write it down on your medi-cal reimbursement claim form. You’ll bereimbursed for 22 cents for each mile youdrove to and from your medical service.

The reimbursement rate was increased to22 cents per mile on September 1. Prior toSeptember 1, the reimbursement rate was15 cents per mile.

For more information, contact JaneJohnson in Human Resources (ext. 4351).

• Thanks to all OB staff who helpedwith the cleaning schedule for themonth of September (especially ShellyBeeler who cleaned three items on thelast day of the month). From BrendaSmith

• To Allison Harter – Thanks fordoing bothyour job andmy job byyourself, mostof last weekwhen I was offfor my mom’s funeral. Wish I wouldnot have left you in a term oil. HappyPA Week. From Cindy Abel.

• To Mike Oleson in the Lab for allof his extra time and help with settingup our lab machine-Thank You Mike!From Colfax Health Services.

• To Irene Mikkelson for all thewonderful Lean Cuisine mealsthat my family and I enjoy so

much. From Myrna Osten.• To Jodi Holloway in Public

Health for all of her help andexpertise when I need it! Thank

you, Jodi. From Desiree Briese.• • •

Shining Stars from Kris Hoyt:• To Rachel Wood and Danielle

Carmichael for changing shifts to helpus out on Med/Surg.

• To Robin Rockwell-Dennis andJackie McCloud for helping extrawhen we needed them.

• To June Trease for staying extra ona busy day, and to Donna Spidel forcoming in on Saturday during herweekend off. Also, to Donna for beingwilling to help with orientation of anew staff member.

• • •• A HUGE thank-you to Kerry Soule

for working with me on the Omnicellpurchase order on such short notice.From Colleen Jacobsen.

• Thanks to Dwight Diltz, ScottDeBruyn, and anyone else who helpedget rid of the wasps around the phar-macy windows! From ColleenJacobsen.

• I would like to thank BobCampbell, Gene Williamson, AmyDawson, Dianna Machin, Carla

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Here’s the latest list of ‘Shining Stars’ at Skiff Medical Center!• To the gals in H.I.M.: Cindy

Lickey; Cynthia Canny; JudyDearinger; Barb Ellis; BettyValentine; Jen Lehrman; HeidiKnutson; Heather Smith; EmilyRose; Jan Crall; Janis Free; IrmaWoody. Thanks for your extra effortsin keeping our department afloatduring times when our staffing hasbeen low. We think you're the great-est! From Deb Drewis and JaniceBalmer.

• Thank you to JeannineRinggenberg for covering theSpecialty Clinic from open to closefor the past three weeks. From KarriWoody.

• A Shining Star to everyone whohad anything to do with refurbishingthe Memorial Hall entrance. Whata beautiful space and a won-derful sharing of the historyof the hospital! From Jan Crall.

• I'd like to thank VivianHuisman for working our BPand Immunization Clinics dur-ing the month of October. It is great-ly appreciated. Thanks, from JodiHolloway.

• Thanks to all who purchased atour “Diabetes Friendly” Bake Sale.We had a beautiful day to walk onSunday Oct. 9, and thanks to all ofyou we had $64 to contribute to theAmerican Diabetes Association.From Ann Hansen and JennyThompson.

• To Barb Kaldenberg- Thanks forproviding the inservice on newbornassessments to the Homecare staff.We appreciate your willingness toteach us and sharing your knowl-edge! From Bonnie Vos.

• To Kelsey Roush: Thanks forthe update on Lifeline services to theHomecare staff. Also, your creativeideas and your role on the socialcommittee are appreciated in thedepartment. Thanks! From BonnieVos.

• A huge thank-you to MelissaEngle in Dietary. A patient wantedcustard and Melissa made a pan full.It truly is the small things that mat-ter ! From the Hospice Staff.

Sutton, Becky Barge, CarolynSullivan, Judy Williams, Donna Bakerand Bob Peters for volunteering forthe United Way “Day of Caring.”From Kerry Soule.

• A Shining Star to Karri Woody forworking for me so I could go to two

funerals. Thank You.From KarlaMackerman.

• Shining Stars toMelody Wright, BarbDeMeyer, and Julie

Hauber for staying late to help withthe power outage testing for ourequipment.

• To Christine Hinshaw andTamera Humes for all the extra work,hours and effort they’ve put in duringa very hectic week. Thank you somuch! From Christie Milligan.

To Donna Baker, Gena Garber andJane Johnson in Human Resources forhelping with last-minute projects thisweek. From Christie Milligan.

• To Kaye Swarts, Jenny Thompsonand Jeannine Ringgenberg for all thework they’ve been doing to get readyfor the Women’s Health Conferencenext week. From Christie Milligan.

• To Scott Pline for being support-ive to an OB staff member. FromBrenda Smith.

• To Bonnye Varland, RobinDennis, Kristina Morgan, and JessicaLoveland for helping out in OB whenhelp was needed. From Brenda Smith.

• To Julie Roozeboom and JenAdams for working to together as ateam and helping get a patient admit-ted and ready for delivery. FromBrenda Smith.

• A big thank-you to everyone whotraded with me so I could go toAaron’s football games over the pastfive weeks. From Sandy Trotter,

• Shining Stars to Amy Swank,Genevieve Langmaid, Vicki Blodgettand Veronica Mangrich for coming into take care of a challenging patientin the O.R. From Dr. Kerrie Bossard.

• To Jeff Bailey: Thank you for foryour assistance with a patient in theEmergency Department! From Dr.Kerrie Bossard.

To name a colleague a “ShiningStar,” just drop a note to John

Easley in Public Relations.

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Improving Inpatient Satisfaction – How well staff worked together to care for youIn the last few issues of VITAL

SIGNS we have discussed severalissues closely associated with ourinpatients’ satisfaction with theirexperience at Skiff Medical Center.

A common thread through thesediscussions has been the notion thathospitalization is at least an incon-venience, and it involves a degree ofdependence on us and some loss ofcontrol over personal decision mak-ing. It is so important to our patientsthat we work well together to coor-dinate their care and meet theirneeds. From the patient’s perspec-tive, we do this well when informa-tion and instructions flow smoothlyamong physicians, nurses, aides,social workers, therapists, dieticians,and other staff members.

Patients notice when things don’tgo smoothly, and they often con-clude that problems are the result ofpoor coordination among caregivers.Long waits, multiple requests, andunmet needs all indicate to thepatient that there is something lack-ing in our teamwork. Anytime wehear something like, “Don’t you peo-

ple talk to each other? I’ve told tenpeople the same thing!” the patientis trying to tell us we aren’t workingtogether well.

On the other hand, when the “has-sle factor” to the patient is kept lowby meeting their needs smoothly and

Some tips for improving perceptions of our teamworkThe survey question, “How well staff worked together to care for you,”

measures the level of teamwork in the hospital, through the eyes of thepatient. Here are some things to consider for improving our patients’ per-ception of our teamwork:

• Patients and family are always observing our behavior. Are we cheerfuland supportive of one another, or do they hear us arguing or putting oneanother down?

• Never blame another provider or department when things don’t gosmoothly. If there are problems in coordinating tests, treatments, or ser-vices, work collaboratively with others to resolve them.

• Make meeting patients’ needs a top priority as we work to provide per-sonalized, compassionate care.

• Always use the script, “Is there anything else I can do for you while Iam here?” before leaving the patient room. As we have learned, this resultsin fewer interruptions for staff and timely response to the patient’srequests.

• Recognize one another for acts of kindness, teamwork, cooperation, and“extra-mile” performance.

quickly, the perception is that wework well together.

This series on patient satisfactionwil conclude in the next issue ofVital Signs with a look at howpatients rate the overall cheerful-ness of the hospital.

• The Hospice Fall Conference isrescheduled for October 28, 2005 from7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the NewtonCountry Club. The speaker will be Dr.Elizabeth Harper Neeld, whose presenta-tion will be titled “Seven Choices:Finding Daylight After Loss Shatters YourWorld.” Nurses may obtain 0.7 CEUs;6.5 hours for Social Workers and 7 forNursing Home Administrators. Others arepending.

• There’s only one opportunity left tobe recertified for CPR: October 24 from8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This will be a “comeand go” renewal, so come to class pre-pared (and bring your card!) The aver-age renewal time has been one hour.Review materials are available by callingLisa Guldberg (ext. 4871).• Community CPR class for those whoperform direct patient care but have nothad CPR at Healthcare Provider Status

will be offered October 24 and 25 from6:30-10 p.m. in the Inservice Room.Contact Lisa Guldberg (ext. 4871) orAnn Hansen (ext. 4387) to register.

• ACLS Provider Class is scheduledfor November 16 and 17 from 7:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. Provider class participants willneed to attend both days. Renewals willonly need to attend on Day 2. Day 2 willbe “come and go.” Participants mustcome prepared. Books must be returnedat the end of class.

• ACLS renewals will be offered onNovember 16 at 2:30 p.m. or November17 at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. in the InserviceRoom. Those needing to renew willneed to contact Lisa Guldberg at ext4871.

• Operations Level HazMat trainingwill be presented by John Bartello,CHESP and Christine Hinshaw, RN.Time and date is yet to be determined. If

interested in attending, please contactJohn Bartello (ext. 4365) or LisaGuldberg (ext. 4871).

• Trauma Nurse Core Course(TNCC) will be offered on October 20and 21 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in theInservice Room. TNCC is a requirementfor ER nursing staff and highly recom-mended for SCU nursing staff. Open toall nursing staff. Contact Lisa Guldberg(ext. 4871) to register.• Here are tentative dates for Live Aide2005:-- November 29 from 8 a.m. to noon inthe Inservice Room-- December 7 from 1-5 p.m. in theInservice Room-- December 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. inthe Inservice RoomContact Lisa Guldberg (ext. 4871) for

more information.

Educational opportunities

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Skiff Nurses went ‘above and beyond’the call of duty

Just a note to commendtwo of the nurses whowere working in the ERon Saturday, September17th. Marv and I went tothe ER by ambulance, butwe had no transportationto return to NewtonVillage, as neither of usdrive now.

Marna Fox and AngieBarnes pushed us home inwheel chairs. My familyand I feel this was aboveand beyond the call ofduty. We really appreciat-ed their assistance.Thanks so much.

Sincerely,Micky & Marv SimpsonNewton Village

Hospice Wing and the addition of newhospital services such as kidney dialysis.

Lothe was nominated by the Skiff Boardof Trustees and hospital staff. In addition,letters of support were written by morethan 20 Newton area business leaders,government officials, hospital employeesand local physicians, as well as other hos-pital leaders across the state.

“Much of Skiff’s success is recent yearshas been rooted in Eric’s ability to focuson clear strategic goals,” wrote the hospi-tal board. “The strategic plan he devel-oped with Trustees and staff is not simplya bound document on a shelf; it is a well-used, day-to-day road map of Skiff’s priori-ties. When a new idea is presented to Eric,he invariably reaches for his copy of thestrategic plan and uses it to decidewhether the idea will help the hospitalreach its most important goals. Ideaswhich meet this test are usually adopted;those which fail the test are set aside.”

The nomination letter also cited Lothe’s“quiet, consensus-building style,” hisinvolvement in local civic and churchorganizations and his personal ethics. “Bypersonal example, he sets a tone of highintegrity that is clearly understood by the

leaders at the IHA’s annual meeting.“Some boards are rewarding, and someare not. Being a trustee on Skiff’s boardis a challenge in today’s environment,but you can see the reward of your hardwork every time you walk into the hos-pital, or walk down the street and some-one pulls you aside to say they or a fami-ly member received great care.”

Kahn praised the IHA for allowing hos-pital trustees to be included on the orga-nization’s board of directors. “That deci-sion sent a powerful message about howimportant the ‘community’ part of ‘com-munity hospital’ is in Iowa,” Kahn said.“It solidified the connection betweenthose who run our hospitals and thosewho need our hospitals.”

In Newton, Kahn has served on numer-ous boards and committees, including

entire organization. Eric simply does theright thing, and expects others to do thesame,” the board wrote.

The board also cited Lothe’s recruit-ment of five new Emergency Roomphysicians, a general surgeon, obstet-rics/gynecology specialist, orthopedicsurgeon, pediatrician, four family practicephysicians and numerous nurse practi-tioners and physician assistants. In addi-tion, they credited Lothe with imple-menting a new $3 million Meditech hos-pital-wide computer system, supportingsatellite medical clinics in Monroe,Baxter and Colfax, adding several newhospital services and renovating nearlyevery physical space at Skiff MedicalCenter.

In accepting the award, Lothe thankedhis wife, Mary, his colleagues at Skiff,and the Board of Trustees at the Newtonhospital. “I am so privileged to see ourmission of compassionate, personalizedcare lived out every day at Skiff MedicalCenter,” Lothe said. “It’s an honor towork with a group who cares so muchabout the people who entrust their careto us.”

the Des Moines Area CommunityCollege Foundation, Jasper CountyAlliance, Newton DevelopmentCorporation, and the NewtonEducational Foundation.

Kahn’s election was the unanimousdecision of the IHA House of Delegates,the association’s governing body thatincludes representatives from virtuallyevery Iowa hospital. The delegates metand elected new Board members and offi-cers during the 76th IHA AnnualMeeting, which attracted more than1,100 health care professionals fromthroughout Iowa to Des Moines for threedays of education, presentations andmeetings.

Lothe receives IHA award (continued from page 1)

Kahn elected chair of IHA Board (continued from page 1)Pediatric transferinservice on Oct. 18

Dr. Stephen Elliott fromBlank Children's Hospitalwill present a programtitled “Transferring thePediatric Patient” to Skiffnurses and physicians atnoon on Tuesday, Oct. 18in the Inservice Room.Contact Dr. TammyChance at ext. 4353 withany questions.

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Child and Dependent AdultAbuse Education offered

Every Skiff employee who performsdirect patient care is required to com-plete Child and Dependent AdultAbuse training at least once every fiveyears.

Certification sessions will be offeredat Skiff on October 27 in ActivityCenter A and B (second floor, westside). These sessions will be held from8-10:30 a.m., from 12-2:30 p.m. andfrom 3-5:30 p.m. Each session willinclude a 2 hour video and a post-test.Please contact Lisa Guldberg at ext.4871 to register for a session or tomake further arrangements.

The Iowa Board of Nursing hasasked Skiff to provide a list of everyemployee who has completed thistraining. It is very important that youattend if you have never had the train-ing or need to be recertified.

LOOK UP! United Way of Jasper County is on the ROOF!!

The United Way of Jasper County Campaign Team has part-nered with Hy-Vee East and KCOB to fill the Salvation ArmyVan. To encourage you to help fill the Van for The Salvation

Army Food Pantry, the team will sit on the roof for 24hours!! Come On -- Look Up and Give!!

October 14-15, 2005 from 4:00 pm - 4:00 pmHy-Vee East, 1501 1st Ave. E.

Help Us Fill The Salvation Army Van!!Items needed include:

• Crackers • Canned Soup • Hamburger • Pancake Mix& Tuna Helper • Boxed Cereal • Spaghetti Sauce •Powdered Milk • Canned Fruits & Vegetables

Here is a list of greatprizes in this year’sUnited Way campaign.Any Skiff MedicalCenter employee whocontributes at least $2per pay period for theyear (or a lump sum donation of $52) willbe entered in a drawing for the followingprizes:

• Skiff T-shirts (10)• Skiff Ceramic Mugs (8)• Skiff Trivets (5)• Skiff Leather Luggage Tags (2)• Cutter & Buck Travel Cases (2)• $10 Skiff Gift Shop Merchandise Gift

Certificate (2)• $10 in Skiff Nutrition Services

Catering (4)• “Good to Go” Café Gift Certificates a

$2.50 value! (5) • Skiff Foundation Tote Bags (2)• Lumbar Rolls (2)• 4 Free Movie Rentals from Family

Video (1)• $10 Cardinal Corner Gift Certificate (2)

Anyone who contributes at least $3 perpay period for the year (or a lump sumdonation of $78) will be entered in a draw-ing for the following prizes:

• Large Skiff Duffel Bag (1)• Leather CD Wallet (1)• “Recipes for Living” Cookbooks (5)• Skiff Foundation Golf Balls (1 box)• 30-Minute Massage (1)• $25 La Cabana Gift Certificate (2)• $25 Skiff Gift Shop Merchandise Gift

Certificate (2)

• Iowa Speedway T-shirt (1)• $50 Gift Certificate for Gasoline from

Rick’s Amoco (1)• $50 Okoboji Bar & Grill Gift

Certificate (1)• $50 Senor Tequila Gift Certificate (1)• $50 Gift Certificate for the “Family

Bundle of Meat” from Fareway (1)• $50 Farmers Wife Gift Certificate (1)• 50 Bonus Skiff Rewards Points (1)Anyone who contributes at least $5 per

pay period for the year (or a lump sumdonation of $130) will be entered in adrawing for the following prizes:

• Skiff Medical Center Throw Blanket (1)• Skiff Letterman’s Jacket (Size L or Xl

only) (1)• Wenger Women’s Swiss Army Watch

valued at $125 (1)• 60-Minute Massages (2)• Dinner for eight at JT’s Cuisine (1)• Iowa Speedway Cutter & Buck Polo

Shirt (1)• $100 Gift Certificate for Gasoline from

Rick’s Amoco (1)• Round of Golf for two plus cart from

Westwood Golf Course (1)• $100 Gift Certificate for the “Family

Bundle of Meat from Fareway (1)

As an added bonus there will be a draw-ing for one winner from employees whoraise their level of giving by 10% over lastyear. The prize: One Vacation day to beused by June 30, 2006!!

All drawings will be held on MondayOctober 24, 2005.

“Build It and They Will”…win FABULOUS prizes

United Waydrawings will

be held onMonday

October 24

Keeping with tradition and toencourage giving this year,Construction Crews (teams) will

compete against each other for the oppor-tunity to PARTY! Each crew that pledges10% over last years giving will receive afree Domino’s Pizza Party for allConstruction Crew members. Each crewthat has 100% participation from all crewmembers will receive a Subway party forthe entire crew!

Also keeping with tradition, the annual“Jeans Day” will be held on FridayOctober 21. Anyone who makes a cash

donation of an extra $5 will be allowed toparticipate in the United Way “JeansDay.” Contact Kerry Soule, MaterialsManagement or Jane Johnson, HumanResources to pay and obtain your “ThankYou” sticker during regular business hoursfrom Monday October 17 throughThursday October 20. The sticker willentitle you to wear jeans on October 21and show how much you care!!

Your gift will make a difference.Working together, United Way and SkiffMedical Center will “Build a Strong,Healthy Community”!

Drawings willencourage selfbreast exams

Along with today’spaycheck, femaleemployees at SkiffMedical Center willreceive a book of 12coupons from Women’sHealth Services. Eachmonth, women whocomplete a self-breastexam may place acoupon in a special pinkenvelope posted in theirdepartment. TheWomen’s Health staffwill draw one nameeach month and delivera bouquet of flowers tothe winner!

If you have questions,contact ChristieMilligan in Women’sHealth Services at ext.4880.

“Build It and They Will”…PARTY!!

A note of thanks from a grateful customerTo my Friends and Staff at Skiff Medical Center:It is with my deepest gratitude that I write this letter of thanks

for the help, concern, and excellent medical care that I receivedat Skiff Medical Center during my recent hospitalization.

From the moment I arrived at the emergency room on Sunday,September 25, 2005, I knew that I was in good hands. Sue, one ofthe nurses in the Emergency room, was the ultimate profession-al, and was both kind and caring while helping to relieve my dis-comfort. She reminded me of my favorite sister, who is also anurse at home here in Pennsylvania. I felt very badly that shewas off on the day I was discharged and that I did not get tothank her in person for her wonderful care and thoughtfulness.Dr. Bunker on your staff would certainly be my physician ofchoice if he practiced near my home in Pennsylvania. He wasthorough, knowledgeable, and prompt in the delivery of my care.He listened and always discussed the plan of action with me.Finally, I can't say enough about the nurses on the second floor(I was in room #219). Their many acts of kindness will gounmentioned, but were definitely not unnoticed by me. Donnawas exceptionally receptive to my wife, who was at home inPennsylvania and felt very helpless being so far away from me.She kept my wife updated and was never too busy to address herconcerns. Donna even offered me the use of her personal cellphone when the battery on mine went dead and I could notrecharge it. I could go on and on about the nurses that helped meand went far beyond the call of duty with regard to my care.They made me feel as if I was "the boy next door" and that I hadknown them all of my life.

It was a frightening ordeal to be sick and helpless so far fromhome, but the care I received at Skiff Medical Center far exceed-ed the quality of care I have had in the past at top rate medicalfacilities. I was at ease knowing that your staff not only deliv-ered top rate medical care, but also showed Christian concernfor someone in need. I only hope that at some time in my life Ican demonstrate the kind of care for another person that all ofyou have shown me. I will forever be deeply grateful for thethoughtfulness and wonderful medical care shown to me by allprofessionals who I had the privilege to meet at Skiff MedicalCenter.

With my sincerest gratitude,Brooke GunsallusBrownsville, Pennsylvania

EMT course to be offered in 2006

Skiff Medical Center, in cooperationwith Indian Hills Community College,will be offering an EMT-Basic course.Classes will be held Jan. 8 through April16, 2006. Classes will be on Sundaysfrom 8-5 p.m. in the Skiff InserviceRoom. CEU’s may be available for nurs-ing staff. If you are interested in attend-ing this class, or if you would like moreinformation, please contact LisaGuldberg at ext 4871.

New Skiffemployee

Amy Heather, MLTLaboratory

Chili cookoff nets $300Thanks to everyone who participated

in the Chili Cookoff last week.Altogether, we raised $300 for the KimDove family.

The cookoff was won by Dan Fog, aphysical therapy student from theUniversity of Iowa who was doing a clin-ical rotation at Skiff.

Thank you to all who took part bycooking or purchasing chili.

— Scott Pline

Sponsored by

Women’s Health Services

Skiff Auxiliary OfficersThe officers of the Skiff Medical Center

Auxiliary include (from left) Gail Hartz, Treasurer,Debby Pence, President, Bonnie Goodwin, VicePresident, and Deb Griffin, Secretary.

Oct. 20 Hospice benefit concert by Southeast Iowa Brass Quintet

The Southeast Iowa Brass Quintet willperform a benefit concert for Hospice ofJasper County at 7 p.m. on Thursday,October 20, at First Presbyterian Church,220 N. 2nd Ave. E. in Newton.

Admission is free; a free will donationwill be given to Hospice of JasperCounty.

The brass ensemble, whose membersare professional musicians from south-east Iowa, will perform in a variety ofmusical styles, from Gospel to patrioticto show tunes. Musical selections willinclude: “Precious Lord,” “America TheBeautiful,” “Rags” by Scott Joplin,“Hallelujah Chorus,” “Scherzo” byCheetham, “Second Suite in F” by Holst,“Get Me To The Church On Time” from“My Fair Lady,” “Canzona per sonareNo. 4” by Gabrieli, “CanzonaBergamasca” by Scheidt-De Jong, “WhenI’m Sixty-four” by Lennon/ McCartney,“Have Yourself A Merry LittleChristmas,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,”“Rondeau” by Mouret, “I Saw ThreeShips,” “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “St.Louis Blues.”

The Southeast iowa Brass Quintet

A note of thanks from Kim DoveI wanted to write another letter to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all

you’ve done for my family and me. Thank you to all who participated in the chilicookoff as a fundraiser for us. Thank you, Scott Pline, for coordinating this, to otherswho may have been involved, and to everyone else who either cooked chili or bought abowl. This is incredibly helpful to us, especially at this time since I have one moresurgery left and am unable to work my full hours. Thank you also to those who loadedup grocery bags with food and staples. You just have no idea the burden that has beenlifted and the stress that is now gone. Thank you for blessing me and my family timeand time again. You have made my life so much easier during this trial. God Bless youall!

— Kim Dove