Davis County Continues to Monitor Whooping Cough Outbreak

PRESS RELEASE
June 28, 2019

Davis County Continues to Monitor Whooping Cough Outbreak

Bloomfield, IA – The Davis County Public Health Department continues to monitor and track cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis. Pertussis is a very contagious disease caused by a bacterium. Although it can be prevented through vaccination, pertussis is one of the most commonly occurring diseases in the U.S. The disease begins like a common cold, with runny nose or congestion, and maybe a mild cough or fever. After one to two weeks, however, pertussis can evolve into a series of coughing fits that continue for weeks.

“Adults often have a milder version of pertussis, and don’t realize they are spreading the disease – this can have serious and even deadly consequences if a child who is too young to be vaccinated, or is not properly vaccinated is infected,” said Davis County Public Health Director Lynn Fellinger. “Pertussis can also result in serious consequences for adults with underlying lung conditions, like asthma. This is why pregnant women (during each pregnancy) should receive a pertussis vaccination to protect their newborn, and why teenagers and adults (especially those who are around infants) should check with their health care provider to ensure their vaccinations, including those for pertussis, are up-to-date.”

The most common symptoms of pertussis in children are fits of coughing, followed by vomiting, a ‘whooping’ sound as air is inhaled, and difficulty sleeping. In adults, however, only a lingering cough that can last months is often seen. This is why many adults do not realize they have pertussis. While treatment with antibiotics will prevent an individual from spreading the disease further after being diagnosed with pertussis, the cough may continue to last for weeks.

Davis County residents who believe they or a family member may have pertussis should contact their health care provider. Individuals who believe they may have been in contact with someone with whooping cough can contact the Davis County Public Health Department at 641-664-3629 for additional guidance.

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Medical Associates Clinic Expanding Hours

Davis County Hospital Medical Associates clinic is expanding its hours to improve access to clinic services. Starting May 6th, 2019 the clinic will be open for appointments Monday – Thursday, 7am – 7pm and Friday 8am – 5pm, including lunch hours every week.

“As part of our commitment to the community, we are expanding hours of operation for the Davis County Medical Associates Clinic,” said Veronica Fuhs, CEO. “We are expanding our hours to ensure we’re doing what we can to be there for our customers when they need us.”

Beginning Monday, May 6th 2019, the expanded clinic hours are as follows:

Clinic Hours
Monday         7:00am – 7:00pm
Tuesday         7:00am – 7:00pm
Wednesday   7:00am – 7:00pm
Thursday       7:00am – 7:00pm
Friday            8:00am – 5:00pm

“It is important to us to be able to provide healthcare during non-working hours for patients who find it hard to come in during normal business hours,” said Carleena Brown, Medical Associates Clinic Director, “The change, which extends the hours to start earlier in the day, go later in the evening, including lunch hours every week, also provides opportunities for patients to receive care sooner rather than waiting two or three days.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment, you can contact Davis County Hospital Medical Associates at 641-664-3832. Davis County Hospital Medical Associates is located within Davis County Hospital at 509 N Madison, Bloomfield.

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DC Walk for Life 2019

Plans are being made for the 2019 Davis County Walk for Life Event! This Year’s walk will be held on Saturday, May 4th at the Davis County High School Track & Field in Bloomfield with registration starting at 9:30 a.m. This event provides funding for mammograms for individuals who are under-insured or un-insured in Davis County.
 
Walk for Life Committee members would like to thank you for your continued financial contribution to our event. Without your support and the support of other community members, we would be unable to provide this service to the increasing number of community members who need our help. We hope that you will be able to help support our project again this year by joining us on May 4th!
 
This year’s breast cancer survivor honoree is Deb Krenz!
 
The 2019 event will be held at the Davis County High School Track & Field. Those unable to walk are invited to attend, and enjoy the entertainment provided by Thadd & Amanda Gray.
 
Adult Walk FEE: $25.00
Children Walk FEE: $15.00
*All children are invited to attend! You only need to register them if you’d like to order a shirt for them. Youth sizes are available this year!
 
**Door Prizes! **Kincart Physical Therapy Services will be giving away (100) RTIC insulated tumblers to the first 100 adults that check-in at registration on Saturday, May 4th at the event! Additional door prizes will be given away throughout the event as well!
 
REGISTRATION: T-shirts will be available to all walkers who register prior to April 12th, 2019. T-shirts and sizes for those who register after the 12th will be limited or receive it following the event. Free water will be provided. You may pre-register by mail, in person at the Davis County Hospital, or at the event.
 
Registration begins at 9:30am, presentation at 9:45am and the walk will kick off at 10:00am!
 
You can download the registration form HERE.

Bloomfield Community Blood Drive

Join us on Thursday, March 7th for a Bloomfield Community Blood Drive!

Bloomfield Community Blood Drive
Thursday, March 7th
12:15pm – 5:45pm
Davis County Hospital Parking Lot – Bloodmobile, South Parking Lot

To schedule an appointment to donate, visit:
https://donor.lifeservebloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/158851
or call 641-664-7083.

Who needs your blood?
• One pint of whole blood can save up to three lives
• Someone in the U.S. needs blood every 2 seconds
• There is no substitute for human blood
• One in seven people entering a hospital needs blood

Join us and help save a life!

Nursing Mothers’ Support Group

Nursing Mothers’ Support groups are held monthly at Davis County Hospital in Conference Room D from 6:00-7:00pm and are free to the public. In the meetings there will free samples of products, group discussions regarding education and common issues, as well as meet individually with nursing mothers to assess and troubleshoot feeding problems in order to help mothers achieve their personal breastfeeding goals. Feel free to bring your children, but please leave your spouses at home.

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Lung Cancer Screening Now Available at DCH

Bloomfield, IA – Davis County Hospital (DCH) is pleased to announce they’ve expanded their Medical Imaging service line to include a Lung Cancer Screening Program.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has found that having a low-dose CT of the chest in patients at high risk for developing lung cancer, reduces their mortality by 20 percent. As a result of NCI findings, Davis County Hospital has created a Lung Cancer Screening Program for individuals at high risk for developing lung cancer.

“Lung Cancer is the most common type of cancer in American men and women,” said Susan Haskell, Medical Imaging Manager at DCH. “It is also the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and the world. More people in American die from lung cancer alone than prostrate, breast, and colon cancers combined. Most lung cancer cases are linked to tobacco smoking.”

Davis County Hospital’s lung cancer screening program works to detect lung cancer at its earliest stages and help patients get access to life-saving care as quickly as possible. Davis County Hospital’s dedicated Lung Coordinator works in collaboration with patient’s providers to evaluate participants for lung cancer risk, schedule those at high risk for screening tests (CT scans), and assure referrals for necessary follow-up care are made with minimal delays.

Screening Eligibility

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has developed Guidelines to screen for individuals who may be at high risk. Risk factors include:

  • Age 55-77
  • A current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years
  • Have a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years (for example, 1 pack a day for 30 years, 2 packs a day for 15 years etc.)
  • No current symptoms

Ask your provider today about starting your lung cancer screening program at Davis County Hospital.

Davis County Hospital Hires New General Surgeon

Davis County Hospital (DCH) is proud to announce the addition of Dr. John Harrington, MD, General Surgeon, to their medical staff. Dr. Harrington will begin practice at DCH in the Spring of 2018.

Dr. Harrington graduated from the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID with a Bachelor of Science. He received his medical degree at Loma Linda University in California and completed his General Surgery residency at Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency in Phoenix, AZ. He grew up in Idaho and has spent most of his surgical career in Nebraska. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Harrington to Davis County Hospital and to the Bloomfield community,” said Kirby Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at Davis County Hospital. “The addition of Dr. Harrington to our medical staff will increase patient access to general surgery services and will aid in Davis County Hospital’s goal of providing a continuum of care in the community.”

“I am excited to join the team at Davis County Hospital, and help further their mission of delivering high quality, patient-centered care,” said Dr. Harrington. “I went into medicine with the goal to help sick and injured people, caring for them like family, and understanding them as unique human beings. I have a heart for small town America, and look forward to serving and being available to the people of Bloomfield and the surrounding communities.”

Dr. Harrington and his wife, Stacie, have four children; Joshua, age 17; Matthew, age 14; Michael, age 10; and Brandon, age 8. In his spare time, Dr. Harrington enjoys jogging, hiking and spending time with his family. “My wife and I feel very fortunate to have been chosen to move to Bloomfield and continue to raise our family there,” commented Harrington.

“Dr. Harrington’s patient-centered mentality is exactly what the community of Bloomfield is looking for in a surgeon,” said Tom Prosapio, Davis County Hospital Board of Trustees Chair. “We are excited Dr Harrington is clearly motivated to serve our patients.”

Dr. Harrington will share on-call duties within DCH and will be available for all general surgery emergencies and accident related injuries upon his arrival.

Davis County Hospital Launches eEmergency Service

Patients who arrive at Davis County Hospital’s emergency department will now be treated by local medical providers, with assistance from an online team of board-certified emergency physicians and critical care nurses.

The new eEmergency telemedicine program, funded by a $176,091 grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Health Program, went online recently at Davis County Hospital (DCH). The facility’s medical staff is now connected with Avera Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., where emergency professionals are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Using high-definition live video and sound equipment, Avera’s eEmergency virtual team can guide nurses and emergency staff until a local physician arrives. They can also consult with doctors on difficult cases.

“Davis County Hospital is committed to providing high quality, compassionate healthcare to our patients and their families,” says Sue Pankey, Chief Nursing Officer. “The addition of eEmergency technology allows us to continue this commitment and add a new benefit of Board Certified Emergency Physician oversight and support. With this grant, DCH will be able to continue improving emergency care and has the potential to reduce unnecessary transfer to distant tertiary care centers by having oversight of Board Certified Emergency Physicians readily available via telemedicine technology. We are grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for their generous support in this endeavor.”

This type of hub-and-spoke health delivery, pioneered by Avera and Helmsley, is also being used to bring pharmacy services and intensive care specialty access to rural hospitals and patients across the seven-state region.

“In rural areas such as our seven-state region, a full complement of medical services is difficult to provide, especially in emergencies,” said Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley trustee and rural South Dakota resident. “The goal of the Helmsley Charitable Trust is to make quality healthcare available regardless of geography. eCare technology can help us do that.”

The eCare programs are part of the ongoing efforts of Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program to improve the lives of rural residents in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. Other efforts include training, emergency medical care, diagnostics, cardiac care, cancer care, and research into innovations that specifically address the challenges of healthcare delivery in rural America.

 

About the Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $2 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $320 million to organizations and initiatives in the upper Midwest states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, and Montana. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.

The Flu Shot is Still Encouraged This Season

It’s never too late to get the flu shot. With the flu activity widespread in most of the United Sates, Davis County Public Health is encouraging individuals (six months of age and older) to still get the annual flu vaccine if they haven’t yet.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is projecting that flu season could extend out until May this year, as it hasn’t peaked yet,” stated Lynn Fellinger, Davis County Public Health Manager. “Even if someone has been sick with the flu this year, and hasn’t gotten their flu shot yet, we still highly encourage them to get the flu vaccination as it protects against many types of flu, and many strains are still circulating.”
The CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older be vaccinated against the flu every year. Flu vaccines are important for everyone, especially for people who are at greater risk for complications and those who live with or care for these individuals. These groups are:

• Pregnant women
• Children younger than 5 years of age
• Adults 65 years of age and older
• People whose immune system is weakened and those with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or conditions affecting the nervous system
• People who are overweight or obese
• People who work or live in nursing homes or long- term care facilities
• Health care personnel and child care workers

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently, but millions of people get the flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands or tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others.
“Getting yourself vaccinated also protects people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions,” said Fellinger.

“While the flu shot has been proven to be less effective at totally preventing the flu this year, it still could lessen the severity of the illness,” commented Sue Pankey, Chief Nursing Officer at DCH. “According to the CDC, the flu vaccination may make your illness milder if you do get sick. For example, a 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized flu patients.”

Davis County Public Health has flu vaccines available, and is available by appointment Monday – Friday. To schedule a time to receive your flu shot, please call 641-664-3629.

DCH Now Offering In-Home Sleep Studies

Davis County Hospital (DCH) is pleased to announce they’ve expanded their sleep study service line to include in-home sleep studies. In-home sleep testing is an effective, cost efficient means of diagnosing sleep-related illnesses in the comfort of your own home.

In order to diagnose Sleep Apnea or other sleep disorders, a patient must undergo a sleep study. This is typically done in a sleep lab, requiring the patient to spend the night in a lab, while equipment records his/her physiological data. This new home sleep technology, now offers patients a cost effective, easy to use, and reliable device for the home diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). A patient is usually ordered a home sleep apnea test or “sleep study” by his or her doctor who suspects that the individual has OSA.

“Research shows that an estimated 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, with 80 percent of the cases going undiagnosed,” stated Kirby Johnson, CEO at Davis County Hospital. “Many people are not being tested or treated because of various obstacles with overnight lab testing, and we are excited to be in a position where we can now reach out to these individuals to make testing easier. We know these services will go a long way in helping people improve their sleeping habits and enjoy a good night’s rest.”

The in-home sleep study that Davis County Hospital is now offering, has minimal equipment and measures the following biologic parameters:

  • Nasal and Oral Airflow – by a thin wire that is taped by the nose and mouth – some sensors look like an oxygen cannula.
  • Respiratory Effort – by elastic belt bands that are placed across the chest and abdomen.
  • Oximeter Finger Probe – a small clip-like device that attaches to the fingertip and emits a red light that assists in the evaluation of oxygen levels in the blood while sleeping.

“If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke,” said Tammy Smoot, Cardio-Pulmonary Manager at DCH. “This is an economical, convenient way for patients to complete their sleep study in the comfort of their own home. By increasing access for diagnosing sleep-related illnesses, conditions can be diagnosed sooner, allowing patients to receive treatment which could ultimately improve their quality of life.”

Ask your doctor today about having your in-home sleep study completed with Davis County Hospital.