CEO:MIKE BURCHAM

BOARD OF TRUSTEES:CHRIS ROTH, PRESIDENT

NANCY HOFTS, VICE PRESIDENTLOREN WIEDEL, TREASURER

KAREN ELSE, SECRETARYLIBBY HEITMANN, MEMBER

FOUNDATION PRESIDENT:STEVE ANDERSON

GUILD PRESIDENT:JUDY MCLAUGHLIN

CONTACT US:120 Park Avenue

Hebron, NE 68370402.768.6041

fax: 402.768.4669

ECRWSSPOSTAL CUSTOMER

FOUNDATION FOR TCHS120 PARK AVENUE

HEBRON, NE 68370

www.ThayerCountyHealth.com

NON PROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDHENDERSON, NE

PERMIT NO. 6

www.ThayerCountyHealth.com

MAY 2016

GOOD BEGINNINGS PROGRAM

TRAUMA AWARENESSMONTH

MEET OURHOSPITAL NURSING

STAFF

INSIDE:

FOUNDATION

UPDATE

KIM RUNKE, LPN-C AND KIM FRANCIS, RN DISCUSS A PATIENT’S CHART AT THE NURSES STATION.

May is Arthritis Awareness, Better Hearing and Speech, Better Sleep, Cataract Awareness, Critical Care Awareness, Global Employee Health and Fitness, High Blood Pressure Education, Liver Awareness, Lupus

Awareness, Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention, Mental Health, Osteoporosis, Stroke Awareness, Trauma Awareness, Women’s

Health Week (8-14), Nursing Home Week (8-15), Medical Transcriptionist Week (15-21), and many more!

MAY 3: AESTHETICS CLINIC 5:30pm-8pm - Hebron Clinic

MAY 6-12: NATIONAL NURSES WEEK

MAY 8-14: NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK

MAY 10: FOUNDATION BOARD MEETING 7pm - Bruning Conference Room

MAY 12: CHILDREN’S IMMUNIZATION CLINIC by appointment only - Hebron Clinic

MAY 17: AESTHETICS CLINIC 5:30pm-8pm - Hebron Clinic

MAY 19: CHILDREN’S IMMUNIZATION CLINIC by appointment only - Hebron Clinic

MAY 25: GUILD BOARD MEETING 9am - Location TBD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7pm - Bruning Conference Room

MAY 30: MEMORIAL DAY Clinic Closed

Events subject to change. Please see our website atwww.ThayerCountyHealth.com

for the most up-to-date information.

you couldWIN

upto

$1,000

GOLF BALL dr pFRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016HEBRON COUNTRY CLUB • S. 1ST ST., HEBRON

$10 each • $20 for 3You do not need to be present to win

THE BALL THATLANDS IN OR CLOSEST TO THE HOLE WINS!

Ball Drop to follow the Foundation for TCHS Golf Tournament. (approx. 4:00-4:30 p.m.) Balls can be purchased from any Foundation Board member, at Thayer County Health Services, or by calling 402-768-4636. For more

information and prize details, visit our website at www.ThayerCountyHealth.com/Foundation

TCHS IS PROUD TO HAVE VA CHOICE PROVIDERS

The Veterans Choice Program provides eligible Veterans the option to receive non-VA health care

from approved providers in their communities. Since Thayer County is farther than 40 miles to the nearest VA facility, you most likely qualify.

To set up an appointment with one of our Choice Providers, first call 866-606-8198 to make sure

you qualify and schedule an appointment. When you call, the VA will walk you through the process.

For more information, visit www.va.gov/health

from the CEO

Michael Burcham, Sr.,MBA, RRT

Office: 402.768.4614Email:

mburcham@tchsne.org

Our SERVICES

PATIENT SERVICESAcute Care

Aesthetics ClinicBehavioral HealthCardiology Clinic

Cardiac RehabCataract Surgery

Childbirth ClassesDiabetes EducationDietary Counseling

Ear-Nose-ThroatFoot Clinic

Good BeginningsHome Health

Immunization ClinicLabor and Delivery

LaboratoryNewborn Care

OB-GYNObservation Care

Occupational TherapyOphthalmology

OrthopedicPhysical Therapy

PodiatryPulmonary Rehab

Speech TherapySurgery

Swing BedUrology Clinic

Vascular ClinicWellness Program

Wound Clinic

DIAGNOSTICBone Densitometry

CT Scan • Doppler • EchoMammography • MRI

Nuclear Medicine • Pet ScanPulmonary Function Test

Sleep Study • Stress TestingUltra Sound

Thayer County Health Services I www.ThayerCountyHealth.com

Read this or past issues of our Community HeartBeat newsletter anytime on our website!www.ThayerCountyHealth.com/newsletter

3

get to know our DEPARTMENTS

2 Community HeartBeat I May 2016

I n recognition of National Nurses Week, this issue features the TCHS Hospital

Nursing team. The department currently consists of 20 RNs, 8 CNAs, and 6 LPNs. Two of our CNAs are Ward Clerks which means they handle many of the clerical duties for the hospital nursing unit. They set up records for new patients; transcribe physicians’ orders from patient records; copy information onto patients’ medical records; and much more.

This very knowledgeable group is responsible for a large variety of tasks. The hospital nursing team takes care of all different

areas including ER, medical pa-tients admitted to the hospital; surgery patients preoperatively and postoperatively; OB patients during labor and delivery, and postpartum as well as newborn patients. They also handle outpa-tient procedures such as IV fluid infusions and outpatient injec-tions. In addition, our RN’s func-tion as triage nurses after hours and on weekends taking patient phone calls.

The Guild and Foundation sponsor healthcare scholarships each year to help area high school seniors, or employees in-terested in a career in Nursing or other healthcare fields.

Front row left to right:Ranae Vorderstrasse, RN - Trauma; Kim Ruhnke, LPN-C; Vicki Crosgrove, CNA - Ward Clerk;

Abby Gausman, RN; Jamie Koch, RN - CNO; Marla Heitmann, RN – Infection Control;and Leanna Renz, RN

Back row left to right:Amber Lubben, RN - Quality; Tiffany Shaw, LPN-C; Shawna Horky, LPN; Miranda Tipton, RN;

Monica Meerkatz, LPN-C; Patty Brown, CNA; Dianne Vorderstrasse, LPN-C;Natalie Marsh, RN; Susan Achterberg, RN; and Courtney Turan, CNA-C - Ward Clerk.

Not pictured:Emma Baker, CNA; Amanda Beam, LPN-C; James Cherney, RN; Brenda Dvorak, RN;

Jayda Edgar, RN; Brooke Fowler, RN; Kim Francis, RN; Kylea Hintz, CNA; Rose Jantz, RN;Connie Lichty, RN; Kari Rundus, RN; Jade Schmit, RN; Sarah Sheetz, RN; Martina Sloane, RN;

Trista Sloane, CNA; ReBecca Taylor, CNA; and Pamela Turner, CNA.

Hospital Nursing

MAY IS TRAUMAAWARENESS MONTH

FOUNDATION GEARING UPFOR 2016 GOLF TOURNAMENT

T he Foundation for Thayer County Health Services’ annual Golf Tournament

is scheduled for June 3rd at the Hebron County Club.

This event is a four-person scramble starting at 9:00 am. The proceeds from this year’s tourna-ment will go toward the founda-tion’s capital campaign “Investing in Healthier Tomorrows.”

New this year will be the heli-copter Golf Ball Drop at the end of the tournament. (more info on back cover or on the website at www.ThayerCountyHealth/foun-dation).

Enclosed in this issue is an en-velope for you to use if you would like to give a donation to the golf tournament.

If you have any questions, would like to purchase golf balls, or become a sponsor for the tour-nament, contact Rita Luongo, 768-4636 or email foundation@tchsne.org.

T his year, the American Trauma Society and the Society of Trauma Nurs-

es have chosen “Safe Steps for Seniors” as the 2016 National Trauma Awareness Month campaign.

According to the American Trauma So-ciety, falls result in more than 2.5 million in-juries treated in emergency departments annually, includ-ing over 734,000 hos-pitalizations and more than 21,700 deaths. Falls threaten seniors’ safety and independence and generate enormous economic and personal costs.

However, falling is not an in-evitable result of aging. Through practical lifestyle adjustments,

evidence-based falls prevention programs, and clinical-community partnerships, the number of falls among seniors can be substantial-

ly reduced. To aid in that effort, the TCHS Trauma Committee

holds fall prevention activities at the as-sisted living facilities

each year.The Trauma Committee

meets quarterly to discuss any issues with patient care in order to im-prove our patient care

and procedures. Current members include; Michael White, Dr. Bryan Hubl, Cody Pachta, Greg Richard-son, Amber Lubben, Jamie Koch, and Ranae Vorderstrasse.

The committee came about as part of the stipulations of being a

state Trauma Designated hospital. TCHS has certain requirements that must be met to be Trauma Designated.

In addition to the quarterly meet-ings, they must meet with the local EMT’s, provide community preven-tion activities, and review charts of certain trauma patients. They do all of this to improve how TCHS cares for the community.

As for community events, the Trauma Committee has handed out glow sticks on Halloween to kids in Thayer County, held 4-wheeler safety courses, organized and held the Trauma Symposium, given out reflective tags for children at sever-al county events, and more.

Currently they are working on plans to have a Trauma Symposium either this fall or, most likely, next spring.

Thayer County Health Services is sup-porting the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in honor of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. During the month of May, we challenge all adults to get 30 minutes of physical activity or more every day.

Did you know that regular physical activi-ty increases your chances of living a longer, healthier life? It also reduces your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Yet in Nebraska, and Thayer County specifically, 30% of adults aged 20 and over report no leisure-time physical activity – meaning they don’t get the recommended amount of physical ac-tivity.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Amer-icans recommend that adults:

• Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week. Moderate activity includes things like walking fast, dancing, swimming, and raking leaves.

• Do muscle-strengthening activities –

like lifting weights or using exercise bands – at least 2 days a week.

• Physical activity is for everyone. No matter what shape you are in, you can find activities that work for you. To-gether, we can rise to the challenge and get more active during the month of May!

Thayer County Health Services is moving quickly to make available to our communi-ties a modern, high-tech wellness center to assist our families in improving and main-taining a healthy, active lifestyle.

The Wellness facility will open late this summer and will offer free weights, weight machines, exercise bikes, treadmills, row-ers and more. An indoor therapy pool for wa-ter activities, an indoor track for walking, and an aerobics room are also part of this new facility.

But don’t wait to start your exercise pro-gram. Talk to your physician about getting started today and join us when we open the new wellness facility at TCHS later this year.

TCHS’s Good Beginnings pro-gram is here to provide supportive services to families with children in the age group newborn to 5 years old. It also serves women during their pregnancy, and provides sup-port during this time of incredible change. We offer regular home or clinic-based visits from trained per-sonnel.

Good Beginnings works with agencies in the community to bet-ter serve our families as a whole. We teach healthy well being, self-care, child-care, child develop-ment, and assist with social ser-vices needs. We serve families who have delivered at TCHS or who live in the area but may have delivered elsewhere.

Our referral services can offer connections to other services such as family counseling, crisis emer-gency assistance, child care op-tions, housing options, Head Start preschool, prepared childbirth and parenting education, job training, medical care for you and your fam-ily, WIC, ADC, and Kids Connection

Good Beginnings is provided through physician referral. However, if you have

questions, please contact Rhea Kniep, RN at 402-768-4625.

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

The first “National Nurse Week” was observed from October 11–16, 1954. The year of the observance

marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. Representative Frances P. Bolton sponsored the bill for a nurse week.

A bill for a “National Nurse Week”

was introduced in the 1955 Con-gress, but no action was taken. Con-gress discontinued its practice of joint resolutions for national weeks of various kinds. Many additions and changes to the dates occurred over

the years.It wasn’t until 1990 that May 6-12

was celebrated as National Nurses Week. In 1994, the week was made permanent by the American Nurses Association.

A little about National Nurses Week:

The Levels of NursingCNA

Certified Nursing Assistant...helps patients with healthcare needs under the supervision of a RN or a LPN.

LPN & LPN-CLicensed Practical Nurse

...must be licensed before they can begin work-ing. To become licensed as a practical nurse one must pass an exam called the NCLEX-PN. An LPN can often transfer the credits he or she earns in school to an RN program. LPN-C is the IV Certification which allows them to start and administer IV medications.

RNRegistered Nurse

...to become a registered nurse, one must pass the NCLEX-RN. RNs who have an associate degree or diploma in nursing may apply to RN to Bachelor’s Degree or RN to Master’s Degree programs.

DID YOUKNOW?

Rhea Kniep, RNGood Beginnings

Things and Stuff Shop Hours:Wed. - Fri. 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Sat. 9:00 a.m. - noon

Back in March, the shop was closed for a week while volunteers were busy

making minor repairs and painting. The shop is now open for regular business

hours. Please stop by to see all the changes!

If you’d like to donate towards their fall project for new flooring, contact Mary

Rauner at 402.768.6027.

Guild FOR TCHSGOOD BEGINNINGSAT TCHS

$865,000