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.
Do you suffer from pain during every day activities, at rest, or during active work? We can help. Addressing pain is not a one size fits all model. Every type of pain, and every patient is unique.
Traditionally, a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is conducted once every three (3) years in a community, and is a partnership between all healthcare agencies in the area. As we work to plan the future of Decatur County Hospital and add services, this three year timeframe is hardly sufficient to truly be responsive to the needs of our community.
Each year, we take nominations and recognize an outstanding nurse at Decatur County Hospital with the DAISY Award. This year we received nominations for six nurses: Jackie Becker, Anita Brooks, Melanie Hamaker, Brandi Oesch, Haylie Osborn, and Cheri Yoder.
