In February 2019, Dr. Erika Brown, MD, joined Decatur County Hospital our Chief Medical Officer. As we kick of 2021, Dr. Brown has some advice to help you start or maintain healthy habits to improve your quality of life.
Linda Chastain has served as Chairperson of the Decatur County Hospital Board of Trustees since January 2017. As Linda ends her term as Chairperson, she reflected on successes and challenges we’ve seen during her tenure. The following is a letter from Linda.
At Decatur County Hospital, we’re ready to usher in a new year with lots of new possibilities. For all your health care needs in 2021, we will be here to serve you.
As we near the end of an unprecedented year for health care, we want to take the time to reflect on the positive things at Decatur County Hospital. As your local hospital, we are so thankful for the ongoing support of our community, and we are honored to be able to deliver exceptional care, close to home.
As we work to provide services most needed for our community, we continue to expand the offerings in our women’s health area. New to DCH is a Women’s Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation program. Through a partnership between our Gynecologist Dr. Earle M. Pescatore, Jr., DO, MHA, FACOG, and our Occupational Therapist Taylor Kohlwey, OTR/L, CLT, Decatur County Hospital now offers Women’s Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation services to women in our community.
In 2016, a National Foundation to End Senior Hunger survey found that 16 percent of seniors face the threat of hunger in the United States. This hits especially close to home in Leon and Decatur County. Due to food insecurity in our community, we collaborate with the Leon Community Meals Program to provide meals to community members who join the program.
Each year, we celebrate October as Physical Therapy Awareness Month. The Decatur County Hospital Rehabilitation Services team offers Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and related services.
Each October is identified as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During the month, women are encouraged to assess their risk for this disease, get a mammogram, and learn how to perform monthly self-exams.
September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, a national recognition established by the Foundation for Women’s Cancer in 1999. It is estimated that 98,000 women will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer this year. There are five main types of gynecologic cancer: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar.
The Decatur County Healthcare Courtesy Van continues to be a well-used service by patients seeking services at Decatur County Hospital, Community Health Centers of Southern Iowa, and Decatur County Public Health. At the beginning of 2020, these three organizations partnered to purchase and operate a free transportation service for established patients in Decatur County.
