Officials with the Atlantic Nursing & Rehab Center (ANRC) report the facility has been selected as a 2015 recipient of the Silver – Achievement in Quality award for its outstanding performance in the health care profession. The award is one of three distinct awards possible through the National Quality Award Program, presented by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The competitive award program highlights select centers across the nation that serve as models of excellence in providing high-quality long term and post-acute care.

ANRC Administrator Kelli Jimerson said “We are all so proud of this recognition. The key to our success is our committed team. Their hard work and dedication to improving the lives of the residents we care for every day is why we are in this position. We’ve dedicated ourselves to this quality journey and are looking ahead to the next level.”

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The program assists providers of long term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance excellence goals.

The program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.  As a recipient of the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award, Atlantic Nursing & Rehab Center has demonstrated systematic advancements in quality, plans for continual improvement, and sustainable organizational goals. Atlantic Nursing & Rehab Center may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the criteria required for the Gold – Excellence in Quality Award, which requires them to address the Baldrige Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence in its entirety.

Atlantic Nursing and Rehab Center offers outpatient therapy, skilled nursing and long-term care services. They are owned and operated by Care Initiatives, Iowa’s largest not-for-profit senior care provider. With headquarters in West Des Moines, Care Initiatives and Care Initiatives Hospice operate 56 skilled nursing, rehabilitation, Alzheimer’s/dementia, assisted living and hospice locations throughout Iowa.

For more information about Care Initiatives, visit www.careinitiatives.org or call 712-243-9352.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Wednesday, of 24-year old Justin Dale Hardisty, of Cumberland. Hardisty was taken into custody on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear (Child Support related). He was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $2000 bond.

Deputies in Cass County arrested a Griswold woman Tuesday on a warrant for Domestic Abuse/Simple Assault, and Interference With Official Acts. 24-year old Morgan Kay Leeder was taken to the Cass County Jail, and later released on $750 bond.

An accident late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning south of Atlantic, resulted in minor injuries to a passenger in the vehicle. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was notified late Thursday morning a 2011 Toyota driven by 30-year old Kevin Patrick Smith, of Atlantic, had left the road and ended-up in a ditch near 610th and Keystone. A passenger in the vehicle, Emily Rebarcak suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital.

Upon further investigation, Smith was cited into court for OWI 2nd Offense, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and Leaving the Scene of an Injury Accident. Damage to the vehicle is estimated to be $2,000.

Hazardous household chemicals can build up around the home and garage quickly, but they can’t be tossed with the regular garbage, so Iowans are being reminded to dispose of them properly. It’s estimated the average home has accumulated around 100 pounds of cleaning products, oils, paints, and lawn and weed chemicals. Trish Radke, program coordinator with Metro Waste Authority, says people need to realize that these are all considered hazardous waste and can’t be tossed in the garbage or poured down the drain.

“It’s any material that the label reads flammable, corrosive, explosive, toxic or even keep out of reach of children,” says Radke. “All of those products have hazardous material in them, so instead of putting them in your regular trash if you have used them up and need to get rid of them, then you need to look to a Regional Collection Center.”

In addition to the Regional Collection Centers, many communities across the state also offer drop-off events with details available by contacting your local landfill. Radke says the improper disposal of these items can have a negative impact on the environment, especially the water supply. There is also the direct threat to human health.

“They can also harm sanitation workers or even your family, if you were to dispose of them in the regular trash and they would leak out onto the street,” she says. “So because of the chemical make-up, they need to be disposed of in a different way than going to the landfill.” Radke also suggests to start the process of reducing household hazardous waste when shopping, by choosing those brands with natural ingredients or purchasing smaller containers to eliminate leftover, unused product.

(Iowa News Service)