ATLANTIC –   Cass County Health System will be hosting a community open house on Sunday, June 10, 2012, from 1 – 5 pm.  The open house will showcase the completion of Phase 1 of the CCHS Addition and Renovation Project.  Guests should enter via the the main north entrance.

            “We are so excited to share the progress with our community!” said Pat Markham, CEO.  “It’s hard to believe we broke ground just 14 months ago, and now we have this beautiful new addition.  The improvements in facilities and equipment are amazing, and will enable us to continue providing outstanding care for our patients.”

            The main emphasis of Phase 1 is a two-story 42,250 sq. ft. addition, mostly to the southeast of the existing hospital.  The main floor of the new area includes the Emergency Department and Admissions, Same Day Surgery and Surgery Department.  All of the areas have been designed to maximize patient privacy and security, while accommodating the latest in medical technology.  The second floor of the addition houses Inpatient Services, which includes Obstetrics, Medical/Surgical, and Intensive Care Units.  Highlights of this area include large, homey patient rooms, each of which has a pull-out love seat for family members and a private bathroom with shower.  Having all the Inpatient Services centrally located will allow staff to be cross-trained and serve patients more efficiently.  Another major improvement in the new addition will be the updated air-handling systems which will allow more comfortable, consistent temperatures in patient rooms.

            Work was also done at Atlantic Medical Center during Phase 1, with the expansion of Suite C to create a separate Obstetrics/Gynecology area, and the remodeling of some existing space to create Suite D with six additional family medicine exam rooms.  “We have been very successful in recruiting and retaining our family medicine staff the last few years, so we needed additional space to provide care to more patients every day,” Pat explained.  “With the expanded clinic hours of 7 am – 7 pm four days a week, the AMC is able to accommodate almost all patients on a same day basis when needed.” 

Finally, the CCMH atrium area has been redecorated, thanks to the CCMH Auxiliary’s very generous $140,000 donation.  The Auxiliary funds were also used to purchase new flat-screen televisions for patient rooms and waiting areas in the new addition.

            The AMC addition and remodeling was completed last fall, and those areas have been in use since that time.  The hospital areas will move into the new addition shortly after the open house; the main floor departments will move the weekend of June 15, with the second floor departments moving the weekend of June 29.  “We do ask for everyone’s patience as we make this transition,” Pat noted. “Our staff has done a lot of planning and preparation, and hope to make the move with as little disruption to patients and families as possible.”

            Immediately following the move, work will begin on Phase 2 of the Addition and Renovation Project.  This will include remodeling of an existing 22,000 sq. ft., primarily for improved outpatient services.  The remodeling will take place in several phases as departments are moved to new locations, freeing existing space for work.  “We will do our best to keep the community informed as we move departments into temporary locations, and then into their permanent new homes,” Pat said.  “Remodeling is usually more disruptive than new construction, so please be sure to ask any of us for help if you need it – we’ll be happy to help you find your way!”

w/ Chris Parks

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Authorities in Montgomery County are investigating an incident of burglary. Officials say at around 11:45-a.m. Friday (June 8th), a Red Oak resident reported that her two storage units in the Park West Storage facility, had been broken into. The locks on the units were cut-off.

Once inside, the thief or thieves stole an antique mirror, hurricane lamp, and a “Charmed” dvd series. The loss was estimated at $500. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office or Montgomery County Crime Stoppers.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says an Atlantic man was cited Friday (June 8th) after he was stopped for speeding. 29-year old Zacharary Alan Frank was pulled over at around 2:50-p.m., after being clocked doing 81-miles per hour in a 55-zone, on his 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Frank was subsequently found to allegedly be in possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited for Possession of the paraphernalia, failure to have proof of insurance, and speeding. He was then released, at the scene of the traffic stop.

An open house will take place Saturday, June 23rd, for the new Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, located at 100 West Coolbaugh Street, in Red Oak.

Artist's Conceptual Drawing of the new LEC

The event will take place from 2- until 4-p.m., and is sponsored by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. Residents and interested persons will be allowed to tour the LEC and speak with the Supervisors and office staff during their visit. In the mean time, the finishing touches are being applied to the brand new facility, which is replacing one that is more than a century old. The project is expected to be completed finished by sometime next month. Montgomery County’s voters made the facility possible, when they approved a $5.675-million bond issue in August of 2010.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a 19-year old was arrested Thursday night on an assault charge. Brothers says Joseph Ray Azevedo, of Clarinda, was charged with Misdemeanor Domestic Abuse Assault, after officers responded to a 9-1-1 call, where a woman had been screaming for help from an apartment. When they arrived shortly after 8:30-p.m. at 114 West Washington Street officers discovered that an eighteen year old female living in one of the apartments had allegedly been physically assaulted by Azevedo, who she was living with.

The woman was not injured during the alleged assault, and did not seek or require medical attention. Azevedo was taken to the Page County Jail and held without bond pending an initial appearance before a Page County Magistrate. The incident was subsequently referred to the Page County Attorney’s Office for review.

Officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office say three people were arrested over the past week. On Tuesday, 21-year old Shane Michael Suhr,  of Anita,  turned himself in on Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrants for Assault Causing Injury, Public Intox, and Disorderly Conduct. Suhr was booked into the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $1,650 bond. That same day, 33-year old Dustin Ray Fusselman, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Driving While Barred. Fusselman was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later in the day on $2000 bond. And, on Wednesday, 20-year old Rebecca Ann Stevens, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Assault Causing Injury. She was brought to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $1000 bond.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports no one was injured, but a Creston man received multiple citations following a crash Thursday afternoon, about 6-miles south of Atlantic. At around 2:25 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a two-vehicle accident on 630^th Street near Oxford Road. Officials say a 2007 Ford F-250 pickup owned and driven by 76-year old Richard Leo Knapp, of Denison, TX, was southbound on Highway 71 when it was hit in the front driver’s side corner by a northbound 1987 Ford F-250 pickup owned and driven by 50-year old Kevin Floyd Edwards, of Creston. The accident happened when Edwards fell asleep at the wheel.

The collision forced Knapp’s pickup onto the east side of Highway 71, and caused Edwards’ pickup and the vehicle it was towing to roll onto their roofs in the west ditch, where they struck a DOT road sign and post. Damages from the crash amounted to $18,000.  The Sheriff’s Department says Edwards was cited for No Valid Driver’s License, Failure to Yield Half of Roadway, No Proof of Insurance, Operating Non-Registered Vehicle, Open Container, and Failure to Acquire Title of Purchased Vehicle.

A southwest Iowa couple is traveling across the state this summer to raise money for historic preservation projects and to highlight the music of legendary songwriter and folk singer Woody Guthrie.

Bob & Sheila Everhart

Bob Everhart, of Anita, and his wife Sheila, are making appearances starting this weekend to honor the late Guthrie, who wrote more than a thousand songs during his long career. “July the 14th would actually have been his 100th birthday but we’re spending the whole summer doing some fundraisers for museums and opera houses in Iowa,” Everhart says. “It looks like we’re still on the A-list to do the final program at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in October.” He says the show pays tribute to a true American icon.

Everhart says, “For those people who are fans of Woody Guthrie or people who like older styles of music, this is especially fun for people who would like to remember some songs that they have not heard in a very, very long time.” Guthrie sang about the Great Depression and the problems faced by many thousands of farmers during the Dust Bowl era. Guthrie’s list of famous songs includes, “This Land Is Your Land”, “Mail Myself To You”, “This Train”, “Bound For Glory”, and “Hobo’s Lullaby”. Guthrie died in 1967, but Everhard says Guthrie made several stops in Iowa during his career.

Everhart’s first shows are Saturday at the Blairsburg Opera House and Sunday at Fort Dodge High School to benefit the Webster County Museum. Both are at 7 PM. For a complete schedule of the Iowa concerts, visit: www.ntcma.net.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama’s statement that the “private sector is doing fine” will “go down in history” as an extraordinary miscalculation by an out-of-touch president.  Speaking in Council Bluffs today (Friday), Romney pounced on the comments Obama made during this (Friday) morning’s White House news conference. Romney says Obama’s remarks led him to ask: “Is he really that out of touch?” Romney says Obama is “defining what it means to be detached and out of touch with the American people.” Romney’s aides say his campaign will continue to give Obama grief on the matter. The comment revived memories of a statement Republican nominee John McCain made in 2008, during the economic turmoil, that the economy’s fundamentals were sound.