Stewart Memorial Community Hospital physician, Dr. David Frate, speaks to students at Lohrville school.

Kindergarten students at Lohrville school got a first hand lesson on germs and eating healthy from Stewart Memorial Community Hospital physician, Dr. David Frate and his wife Wendy.  The program was on eating healthy and how to avoid germs.  Students compared a healthy and unhealthy face, looked at a food plate (new instead of the food pyramid), and discussed what a doctor does; germs, hand washing, and healthy habits.  The Frate’s provided a visual display on how germs are spread using colored sticky note paper to represent germs.  “At the end, a bunch of kids, especially the boys, were walking out with 5 or 6 colored sticky note “germs” on their faces. It was so funny”, commented Wendy Frate.  Students were provided with a hand washing worksheet.

Dr. David Frate and Wendy were also invited to speak to the second grade classes at Lohrville school.  The program focused on learning the different parts of the brain, heart disease, diabetes and skin cancer. Dr. Frate provided an activity to help the students visually see the different parts of the brain and what each part is responsible for.  He focused on the importance of eating healthy, exercising and being physically fit to prevent diabetes.

Leah Marxen, (center) President and CEO of Stewart Memorial Community Hospital accepts the prestigious Fire Starter Award from the Studer Group. Pictured with Marxen is (left to right), Bob Murphy, RN with the Studer Group, and SMCH employees; Lisa Miller, RN, Deb Legore, RN, (Marxen), Kari Jones, RN, Director of Home Care and Hospice, Bonnie Herrin, RN, Director of Surgical Services and Kim Kramer, Registered Pharmacist.

Stewart Memorial Community Hospital has received a prestigious award recognizing their commitment to creating a culture of excellence. The Lake City hospital becomes the third hospital in the state ofIowato ever be given the distinguished honor of receiving the Healthcare Organization Award, also know as the Fire Starter Award, from the Studer Group. The Studer Group works with over 800 healthcare organizations in theU.S.and beyond, teaching them how to achieve, sustain, and accelerate exceptional clinical, operational, and financial outcomes for overall improved patient care. Leah Marxen, CEO, says she is very proud of all of the staff at SMCH. “Our hospital was nominated for this esteemed award because of all of the hard work our employees have put into consistently delivering the best care for our patients,” says Marxen, who has led the efforts to put the Studer system into place at SMCH.

Each recipient of the Healthcare Organization Award is considered a Fire Starter hospital, which is one that keeps the true essence of the organization alive and thriving.  Fire Starters ignite the flame of service and caring for others that guides and supports the organization and results in measurable positive outcomes. Every month, Studer Group honors an organization that stands out from its peers and serves as a premier example of what is right in healthcare.

Among the achievements that the Studer Group noted as reasons for selecting SMCH are; an increase in in-patient and out-patient satisfaction, improved quality scores as measured by the center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an increase in the number of surgical cases performed and overall number of out-patients served, as well as implementation of a merit based employee evaluation system. SMCH also accomplished adding new patient services such as increased Orthopaedic Services, six new medical providers, stress testing, a Coumadin Clinic and Plastic Surgery. Marxen says she credits the senior leadership team’s ability to be in-tune with staff for the award. “The leadership team has created a culture of excellence that encourages staff members to have input on improvements, processes and implementation of new initiatives,” notes Marxen. “There is true buy-in into our team effort of becoming the best rural hospital in that nation.”

To celebrate the achievement, SMCH has planned a number of activities for their employees including ice cream sundaes, a grill out, special apparel and a special recognition event. Marxen says the events are a small way to say thank you to all of the employees for their hard work and dedication. “I want to thank everyone for the part they have played in making this award possible.”

In 2012, SMCH is looking forward to another year of opportunity to improve patient satisfaction and grow the services available to patients. “We will begin the year celebrating 50 years of service and a renewed focus on our purpose which is giving compassionate care to the people we serve,” notes Marxen.

Bethany Lynn
Date of Birth:	1/23/2012
Parents:	Lisa and Shon
Baby’s Weight:	7 lbs., 8.5 oz.
Baby’s Length:	18 1/2 inches
Physician:	Dr. Duncan

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Elijah Carl
Date of Birth:	1/23/2012
Parents:	Erica and Ben
Baby’s Weight:	7 lbs., 3 oz.
Baby’s Length:	20 inches
Physician:	Dr. Hornback

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