An official with the Cass County Memorial Hospital says the Cass County Health System will host a community open house Sunday, June 10th, from 1 – 5 pm, in Atlantic.  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. CCMH CEO Pat Markham says they are excited to share the progress that’s been made since ground was broken 14-months ago on the new addition to the hospital. Markham says “The improvements in facilities and equipment are amazing,” and will enable them to continue providing outstanding care for their 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.  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.  And, the CCMH atrium area has been redecorated, thanks to a $140,000 donation from the CCMH Auxiliary.  The Auxiliary funds were also used to purchase new flat-screen televisions for patient rooms and waiting areas in the new addition.

The Atlantic Medical Center addition and remodeling was completed last fall, and 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.  Immediately following the move, work will begin on Phase 2 of the Addition and Renovation Project. That includes the remodeling of an existing 22,000 sq. ft., primarily for improved outpatient services.

A Monona County resident is hitting the road on a trip across the state of Iowa for her grandson. Tammy Mohr, of Ute, is beginning her trip across Iowa called, “Trottin’ for Taylor” to raise awareness and funding for Batten Disease. 

Mohr’s grandson Taylor Lee Mohr has Batten Disease, a rare neurological degenerative disease that comes in four forms and is fatal in every case. The form Taylor has the late infantile form of the disease and there is no cure. Taylor is eight years old and is bedridden, blind, can not walk or talk, and his limbs are contracted. The condition forces him to use a feeding tube. 

The trip by his grandmother Tammy will begin in Muscatine on Saturday, and will end in Missouri Valley on Monday, June 18^th at the Missouri River. The entire trip from one end of Iowa to the other will be done horse back riding. Tammy welcomes others to join her at any point on her ride. 

She plans to stay overnight in several places including stops in Massena, Atlantic, Avoca and Beebeetown. Donations can be made to Tammy Mohr 42883 270^th Street, Ute, IA 51060. Any donations made will be delivered to the University of Iowa Batten Research. You can follow Tammy’s journey on Facebook by searching for “trottinfortaylor”.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new monthly report suggests economic growth is slowing in nine Midwest and Plains states, but the region remains healthy overall. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says businesses in the region are still benefiting from healthy farm income and exports. But he says the strong dollar is limiting the amount of growth.
 
The report’s overall economic index declined to 57.6 in May from April’s 60, but remained well above the neutral score of 50.  The survey uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.   The survey of business leaders and supply managers covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.