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RMC Implements Pediatric Visitor Restrictions

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Due to increased respiratory illness and respiratory hospitalizations in our community, Regional Medical Center in Manchester is implementing visitor restrictions. At this time, children under the age of 14 will not be allowed to visit patients in the hospital.

The only exception is in the OB Department. Immediate siblings will be allowed to visit their new sibling as long as they are feeling well. It is very important that these siblings are not experiencing any respiratory symptoms. Any ill siblings should not come to the OB Department.

By restricting visitors, our goal is to prevent unnecessary illness from being brought into the hospital. As always, our goal is to protect our patients, community members and staff from getting sick when they are in our facility.

Remember the 3 C’s. You can help reduce the spread of illness by Cleaning your hands often, Covering your coughs and Containing germs by staying home when you are sick.

Nephrology specialist Elyse McGraw, ARNP, FNP, with UnityPoint Clinic – Kidney Center in Cedar Rapids has joined the Regional Medical Center (RMC) Specialty Clinic team in Manchester. 

Elyse is a board certified family nurse practitioner and specializes in Nephrology. “I chose nephrology because it is a complex specialty and there is a lot to learn,” shares McGraw. “The kidneys are involved in so much regulation in the body, yet we have the ability to help people survive without them. It is a fascinating specialty!”

Talk to your healthcare provider if you are in need of a nephrology consultation. If you have any questions about the services Elyse McGraw provides, call UnityPoint Clinic – Kidney Center at 319-298-2200 or visit regmedctr.org/nephrology.

Pictured: Elyse McGraw, ARNP, FNP, RMC Visiting Nephrology Specialist

Regional Medical Center’s Senior Life Solutions program welcomes Dr. Gurkiran (Kiran) Gill, a board-certified adult psychiatrist. Senior Life Solutions combines psychiatry and group therapy to support older adults (typically 65 and older) who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, grief, and other mental health challenges. This outpatient program is offered at Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Manchester, Iowa. 

A graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Dr. Gill has more than 13 years of experience treating individuals with depression, anxiety disorders, and other mental health challenges. Dr. Gill specializes in geriatric psychiatry treatment. She’s worked at hospitals and clinics in Florida. Her goal is to empower and educate people while building mental health awareness through accessible information. One of her favorite quotes is, “It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing.”

Dr. Gill will connect with patients strictly through telehealth, providing psychiatric assessments and medication management. Referrals to RMC’s Senior Life Solutions program can be made by anyone, including a patient’s healthcare provider, family member, the patient themselves or another healthcare professional. If you’d like to know more, please contact the RMC Senior Life Solutions team at 563-927-7560.

Pictured: Dr. Kiran Gill, Regional Medical Center’s Senior Life Solutions Psychiatrist

Medicare and related health insurance is confusing and overwhelming. It’s challenging to navigate the application process, to understand what the options are or what the implications might be for choosing one option over another. 

Many Iowans turn to trained volunteer counselors to help answer these and other questions about their Medicare healthcare insurance options. The Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) is a free health insurance counseling service of the State of Iowa Insurance Division sponsored locally by Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Manchester.

RMC is lucky to have two amazing counselors, Vera Smith and Brenda Saunders, but are looking for someone to join their volunteer team. Vera Smith, RMC SHIIP Volunteer shares, “It is very fulfilling to help your fellow man understand the Medicare system. If there is a tiny spark of interest, please give this a chance. You will not regret it.”

Who makes a good counselor? If you are someone who enjoys tackling new challenges, likes learning new information, gains satisfaction from helping people, has good computer skills, can work with diverse populations and can be a trusted source of information…this may be a great fit for you! SHIIP provides excellent training and resources to ensure their volunteers are prepared and have the tools they need for counseling and community education. More information can be found at shiip.iowa.gov/get-involved.

Pictured: Vera Smith and Brenda Saunders, RMC SHIIP Volunteer Counselors 

Exercise is essential, no matter the season. However, it can be especially difficult to keep your family active during the short, cold winter months. Regional Medical Center (RMC) Parents as Teachers (PAT) shares their tips and ticks on how to keep your family motivated during this last stretch of winter. 

Start with a small movement goal. Busy schedules may limit the amount of time to focus on staying active. We encourage you to aim for 15-20 minutes of movement throughout the day. When it comes to keeping your child(ren) active, incorporating movement into fun games/activities is all you need. 

The RMC PAT educators have put together a list of indoor and outdoor activities that you can do with your child(ren). 

  • Incorporate small dance parties throughout the day. Put on a favorite song and have the kids dance around the room. 
  • Make a nature collage. Have the kids collect rocks, leaves and twigs – then assemble them into a collage as a family. 
  • Build an indoor obstacle course. Use household or garage items to encourage kids to crawl, jump and wiggle their way through the course. 
  • Take family walks or bike rides. As long as you dress for the weather, enjoy the outdoors as a family. 

As the temperatures slowly increase, make sure your child(ren) comes in frequently to trade out wet clothes and warm up. Keep a positive mindset about staying active, especially during the gray, colder days of winter. Physical activity and a dose of outdoors can do wonders for everyone’s physical and mental health. 

Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Manchester has transitioned to a new patient survey company, NRC Health, at the start of 2024. 

Patients may receive an email, text, phone call or survey mailed to their home requesting feedback on their patient experience. The survey takes approximately two minutes and will help RMC learn more about each persons’ experience, preferences, wants and needs.

“We truly value our patients’ honest feedback about the care they receive at our health system,” shared Samantha Cocking, RMC Quality/Education Manager. “Knowing how you feel and what we can improve will help us work within our system to provide the most comprehensive, quality care possible. Thank you in advance for taking our brief survey, if and when you receive one. We want to hear from you.”

RMC will review responses to help improve the patient experience and follow through on any concerns. This partnership with NRC Health is an example of RMC’s dedication and determination in following our mission “dedicated to improving the health of our communities through professional and personalized care.”

Pictured: Sam Cocking, Quality/Education Manager

Regional Medical Center’s (RMC) Specialty Clinic in Manchester is excited to welcome a new visiting Podiatry specialist.

Stephen Solomon, DPM with Northeast Iowa Podiatry, PC in Waterloo specializes in sports injuries, diabetic foot care and diseases of the nail. He is board certified in foot surgery and will be operating select surgeries here at Regional Medical Center. We are honored that Dr. Solomon brings his expertise to the RMC Specialty Clinic. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are in need of a podiatry consultation. If you have any questions about the services Dr. Solomon provides at the RMC Specialty Clinic, call 563-927-7301 or visit regmedctr.org/podiatry.

Pictured: Dr. Stephen Solomon, RMC Visiting Podiatry Specialist

The end of the year can be a very busy time for many families. This time of year provides time for families to spend together, breaks from school and anticipated fun festivity and holiday traditions. 

An abrupt transition from holiday time off to the daily school routine can be challenging to navigate in children, teens and adults. Children and teens are more likely to express their feelings during this transition with behaviors rather than words. Regional Medical Center (RMC) Parents as Teachers (PAT) provides some tactics on how to help the youth cope with “post-holiday blues”:

Talk about going back to school. Provide a space where they can verbalize their feelings while returning to school. One way to do this is to simply ask questions on how they are feeling about returning to school. Normalize their feelings of worry or nervousness and acknowledge their feelings are common.

Get back into a routine. Although it may not be very fun, children thrive with routines and schedules. It can be helpful to keep your child’s bedtime and wake-up time the same throughout a break.

Make physical health a priority. Although breaks are great, making a point to get up and move with intention throughout the day can help keep their bodies in sync when heading back to school.

Create quality family time. Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean the family time needs to end. Build in quality time each week to do something together. If you are looking for more parental support, reach out to RMC Parents as Teachers (563-927-7685) or visit regmedctr.org/pat to learn more.

Regional Medical Center (RMC) is hosting their third annual “Comedy for a Cause” fundraising event on Saturday, February 3rd. Stand-up comedian, Heath Harmison, will be the source of entertainment with his fun, high energy, relatable comedy that provides something for everyone.

This is a community fundraising event that will be held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds Pavilion with doors opening at 6pm. Not only is this an opportunity for a fun night out, but all proceeds raised through ticket sales and a 50/50 cash raffle will go right back to your local not-for-profit hospital. 

Each year, RMC focuses their fundraising efforts on one big need. During fiscal year 2024, the focus is offsetting the cost of their brand new CT scanner. As a not-for-profit organization RMC relies heavily on the support of our community. 

“It’s fun to host community events like this! It not only brings our community together for a fun-filled night but it gives us an opportunity to connect with the individuals who continue to support our mission; improving the health of our communities through professional and personalized care,” shared Valerie Lindsay, Marketing and Fund Development Manager. Tickets are only sold in advance – no tickets will be sold at the door. They can be purchased online at regmedctr.org/comedy. On behalf of Regional Medical Center, thank you for allowing us to grow and expand to provide you with the care you deserve.

Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Manchester continues to be in-network with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) health plans.

Recently, RMC was made aware that Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) mistakenly sent letters to some of their covered members indicating that RMC is no longer in-network with their health plan.

This is not accurate. Please be assured that RMC and Regional Family Health continue to be in-network and do not have any plans of terminating our agreement with BC/BS. If claims are denied for out-of-network, RMC will work directly with Wellmark BC/BS to resolve the claim denial.

Wellmark BC/BS is aware of this error and are actively working to identify the members who have received these letters. They plan to send notices out to these members acknowledging their error and their plans to correct the issue.

If you have any questions, you may contact RMC’s Business Services Department at 563-927-7533 or call Wellmark BC/BS with the phone number listed on your insurance card.

It was a special start of the new year for Strawberry Point residents, Dan and Jamie Venteicher. At 12:28am on January 1, 2024, they welcomed a baby boy at Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Manchester.

James Daniel weighed 10 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 22¾ inches. OB and Family Health physician, Dr. Clinton Cummings, along with the RMC OB team, delivered this special new year baby. 

To help celebrate, RMC gifted the family with a case of diapers and an embroidered blanket that reads “First Baby 2024”. 

We want to thank Dan and Jamie for putting their trust in us to care for their growing family. It is our greatest joy to be part of these special moments.

Pictured: Dan & Jamie Venteicher with baby boy, James Daniel

“I would like to say thank you to the Regional Medical Center Auxiliary and their donors for granting me this scholarship! It has given me the opportunity to continue to learn & focus on school by lightening the financial stress. It has made the path of becoming a radiologic technologist easier. Thank you!”