GRMC Hosts First-Ever Blue Jean Ball

Guest post by Laura Nelson-Lof, GRMC marketing specialist

The Blue Jean Ball Caps a Great Day At the Grinnell Regional Airport
Come to the Optimists Fly-In Breakfast with the family in the morning and come back in the evening for some grown up fun...

Get out your favorite jeans and make plans now to attend the first-ever GRMC Blue Jean Ball on Saturday, September 24, 8 to midnight at Grinnell Regional Airport/Billy Robinson Field.

The event has a little something for everyone. For tickets to this fun celebration of the great relationship between GRMC and the community, you may go here or any of the following locations:
Grinnell: The Glass Gift Box at GRMC, Postels Community Health Park
Brooklyn: Seaton's Grocery
Lynnville: Lynnville Medical Clinic
Montezuma: Montezuma State Bank, Peoples Savings Bank
New Sharon: New Sharon Memorial Clinic
Tama/Toledo: Deer Creek Health Center
Victor: Victor Health Clinic and Victor Market

Tickets are $25 each, two for $45 in advance. $30 each at the door.

Headlining the evening's entertainment are The Dweebs, a popular Wisconsin-based cover band that plays hits from the 70's to today. Check them out here!

Ben Latimer and Dr. Jeff Knobloch are the masters of ceremonies for the evening that will include celebrating Todd Linden's upcoming 50th birthday.

An incredible array of items are on offer for guests to bid on through a silent auction, live auction, and raffle. You can read the list of great items here.

Silent auction items include handmade truffles, framed artworks by local artists, a ride along with Grinnell's finest - the Grinnell Police Department, overnight stays at area bed and breakfasts, gift baskets, exquisite California wines, and more.

Live auction items feature week-long stays in an Estes Park, Colorado condo or a week at a luxury highrise condo in downtown Chicago on Lake Shore Drive.

The raffle offers the change to win an iPad2 or a Flip camera. Something for everyone.

Proceeds from the event will go to support equipment needs in the surgery department at GRMC. For more information, please call 641-236-2954.

Hospital Volunteers are a Special Group of People

What a wonderful way to start a Thursday! I had the delightful pleasure of “working” in The Glass Gift Box (our magnificent Auxiliary gift shop) this past Thursday as part of my routine of WalkRounds throughout the medical center. My first job was unpacking what seems like hundreds of candles. If you can’t find a scent you like at The Glass Gift Box, then there’s something wrong with your sniffer. I picked out a lovely “merlot” scented candle and can’t wait to light it next time I am enjoying a glass of red wine.

They decided to run a special that day – spend $20.00 and get a $5.00 gift certificate - which seemed to stimulate a lot of activity. The shop was full all morning and it was fun helping the visitors and employees alike find something neat in the shop. Of course, I got the chance to interact with Kerri Olson (our Cracker Jack volunteer coordinator) and Cara Kenkel (our extraordinary gift shop coordinator). Both these ladies are delightful to be around (even though Kerri is a big Cyclone fan) and seem to really enjoy their work.

I also had the opportunity to interact with some of our amazing volunteers! There is nothing quite like a hospital volunteer. If you looked up “salt of the earth” in the proverbial dictionary, there you would find a picture of the GRMC Auxiliary. These folks give so willingly of their time, talents and resources. Since I started working at the Boone County Hospital when I was about 13 or 14, I’ve been around hospital volunteers. I simply can’t think of a finer group of people.

Thursday, Mary Jo Adams was working the register and helping to unpack merchandise. She works most Tuesdays and Thursdays…now that’s dedication! Pretty soon, Nancy Stoner came in. She’s new to town, said she was from Indiana. Imagine that, one of the first things she did was learn how she could help out at the local hospital. Then Bonnie Buntz came in, another one of faithful volunteers. Dot Zylstra stopped by with a delivery and Joe Allwood stopped to ask about his clinic route! I noticed John Martinek out front at the information desk and Jack Templeton was up in the surgery waiting area. Nadine Coots helped out in the cafeteria on Thursday and well, I could go on and on. The GRMC volunteers, along with the other thousands and thousands of people who care about their community hospitals enough to volunteer, I say a heartfelt and hearty THANK YOU! We simply couldn’t do it without you.

The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent GRMC’s positions, strategies, or opinions.

Fighting the Flu

Last week, I helped staff our first “tier one” H1N1 immunization clinic held at the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center. Worried parents and pregnant women started lining up at 9 a.m. for a 3 p.m. clinic! Fortunately, the clinic was extremely well organized and all those seeking and eligible for the vaccine were served. The crowd of more than 400 was very orderly and seemed extremely well informed. With a shortage of vaccine and media hype, we were prepared for anything.

As it turned out, all the planning, practice, and training paid off with an orderly and efficient process. My hat is off to all our team members whose dedication to making a difference in the lives of others really burned brightly.

Two more clinics are scheduled in the next two weeks and I expect things will also go well thanks to the commitment of our employees and the people we are fortunate to serve in this area. We are working hard to get those who have their authorizations for the vaccine done as soon as possible, considering factors that are beyond our control.

For now, just remember to keep your hands washed, cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or the sleeve of your elbow, and stay home if you aren’t feeling well. Check out the GRMC website for updates on availability of vaccine and upcoming clinics.

Together, we will make it through this.