Red Oak, Iowa — Montgomery County Memorial Hospital + Clinics (MCMH), in partnership with Major Gen. (R) Chris Hughes, along with seven other Western Iowa Hospitals, are sending urgently needed medical supplies to Ukraine.

Russ Reynolds- MCMH Environmental Services Manager, Major Gen. (R) Chris Hughes, and Russ Cooner – volunteer from Audubon County Memorial Hospital.

Major Gen. (R) Chris Hughes, a native of Red Oak, Iowa, has been working with the non-profit organization, Nova Ukraine (https://novaurkaine.org) to find, purchase and ship urgent medical supplies in support of the Ukrainian military and citizenry. Major Gen. (R) Hughes reached out to MCMH CEO, Ron Kloewer, asking for help in identifying medical suppliers. This request led to MCMH reaching out to other Western Iowa Hospitals in a coordinated effort to supply Nova Ukraine with the medical supplies needed on the ground.

CEO’s left to right – Russ Cooner – volunteer from Audubon County Memorial Hospital + Clinics, Suzanne Cooner – CEO Audubon County Memorial Hospital + Clinics, Major Gen. (R) Chris Hughes, Barry Jacobsen – CEO Myrtue Medical Center , Ron Kloewer – CEO Montgomery County Memorial Hospital + Clinics, Brett Altman – CEO Cass Health

MCMH CEO, Ron Kloewer said “Here at MCMH we are honored and humbled to help with this effort for the people of Ukraine. I am proud of my staff and I’m grateful to the area hospitals for their tremendous effort stepping up to help coordinate gathering and shipping of the supplies. MCMH is the staging location for shipments headed to Ukraine. Seven other hospitals including; Audubon County Memorial Hospital + Clinics, Crawford County Memorial Hospital, St. Anthony Regional Hospital, Cass Health, Myrtue Medical Center, Shenandoah Medical Center and Spencer Hospital, brought medical supplies to MCMH, Friday, March 11th.

MCMH is working closely with Nova Ukraine to get the supplies on the ground in Ukraine. Nearly a dozen pallets of medical supplies were collected from this joint effort and will be heading to Ukraine.

The Iowa State Patrol reports five people were injured, Friday, during two separate accidents on near opposite sides of the State. At around 12:06-a.m., Friday, a single vehicle accident in Dickinson County resulted in a man and woman from Milford to separate hospitals.

The Patrol says a 2003 Chevy Suburban was westbound on 9th Street in Milford, when for reasons unknown, the SUV left the road, began to skid and then jumped the northwest curb at the intersection of 9th Street and K Avenue. The vehicle then hit a tree and a house at 901 K Avenue. The occupants, 35-year-old’s Rodney and Sasha Allen, were ejected in the crash. Neither was wearing a seat belt. Rodney Allen was transported to Avera Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls by air ambulance. Sasha Allen was transported by Spirit Lake Ambulance to the hospital in Spencer. The Patrol the it’s not clear who was driving the SUV.

The other accident happened at around 10:40-a.m., Friday, in Cerro Gordo County. The Patrol reports a 2019 transit bus was westbound in the north driveway at Hy-Vee in Mason City, when the driver, 69-year-old Terry Wolters, of Mason City, suffered a medical emergency. The bus went out of control and swerved to the left into the path of an eastbound 2011 Dodge Caravan driven by 76-year-old Bobby Dirks, of Mason City.

The bus and the van collided head-on. Following the impact, the transit bus hit a tree in the parking lot and came to rest against the tree, facing southwest. The van spun and came to rest facing west. Both drivers and a passenger in the van, 77-year-old Joyce Dirks, were injured. All three were transported to Mercy One Hospital in Mason City. The injured were wearing their seat belts.

(Lewis, Iowa) – A reminder to motorists in Cass County: A project to repair the bridge deck on the U.S. Highway 6 bridge over Indian Creek, just west of Lewis, requires closure of U.S. 6 from 7 a.m. Monday, March 14 until 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, weather permitting. The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office says during this project, traffic will be detoured around the work zone using U.S. 71, Iowa 92, and Iowa 48.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Elliott, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say the driver of a Subaru Outback was arrested following a crash that occurred a little after 11-p.m. Friday, east of Elliott. Authorities say Roger Dean Cook, of Red Oak, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, with additional charges pending the results of a drug screen. Cook was traveling west on 100th Street when his vehicle crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and went into the ditch, where it struck a power line pole, breaking it in half.

The SUV continued in the ditch and hit a barbed-wire fence before coming to rest. The vehicle sustained an estimated $15,000 damage, and was declared a total loss. Cook denied rescue and suffered no injures during the incident.  He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.