health center

SIOUX CENTER – Pedro and Maria Rodas were happy that they made the 25-mile trip from Sheldon to Sioux Center for dental cleanings for two of their three sons this week. Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma and dental assistant Leonardo Gabriel Marquez give 6-year-old Brian a dental cleaning, while his parents, Pedro and Maria Rodas, and his 9-year-old brother, Alex, look on at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. They couldn’t have been more pleased with the service that Alex, 9, and Brian, 6, received during their appointments at Promise Community Health Center . They were referred to Promise by another dental office because Promise is one of the few dental offices in the region that accepts new Medicaid patients, but they found their experience at Promise to be better than expected. “I was very pleased. I was very happy with the service that we received,” Maria said through a Spanish-speaking interpreter. “I felt as a Hispanic that we were treated very well, the way that we deserve....

SIOUX CENTER – Megan Birdsong likes helping people realize their own strengths and potential and then using that to help them make positive changes in their lives. That’s what she finds rewarding about serving as an outpatient mental health therapist. Megan Birdsong, a licensed master social worker for Seasons Center for Behavioral Health, has begun providing counseling services to patients onsite at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. Birdsong, who is licensed master social worker for Spencer-based Seasons Center for Behavioral Health , recently began seeing patients weekly as a therapist at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. Promise, which integrates behavioral health with primary health care, has a contract with Seasons Center to provide the service 1-5 p.m. Mondays. She interned last year with the Maggie Greving, the previous Seasons therapist who served at Promise. When Greving was no longer able to provide therapy services at Promise, she asked Bir...

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center has been awarded a $45,361 grant for health information technology enhancements. The grant was awarded through the Delivery System Health Information Investment program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Karen Sanchez, optometry/medical assistant for Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center, enters information into the computer. Promise has been awarded a $45,361 federal grant for health information technology enhancements. The funds will be used toward the purchase of equipment and supplies to upgrade an aging server and technology infrastructure to support the expansion of integrated services and the transition to value-based care. The project also involves the purchase of equipment and software for the implementation of telehealth services. “This grant helps us keep pace with the delivery of health care in an integrated and fast-paced environment,” said Nancy Dykstra, executive director of P...

SIOUX CENTER – Karina Gonzalez did not know what her future held for her when she visited Promise Community Health Center for the first time. Karina Gonzalez recently started serving as a receptionist at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. As one of the first faces that patients see, she wants to help make sure they have a good visit to the health center. “I walked in and felt very welcomed,” she said. “I had come in to make an appointment – not knowing that I was going to ask for an application. I saw that everything was clean and so organized. Everyone dressed nice and seemed that they had good communication. In a medical-related environment, it is very important that there is good communication.” That first visit ended with an application in her hand and, ultimately, led to a job at Promise. Karina, who is bilingual in English and Spanish, recently assumed the position of receptionist at the health center. “I was interested in working for Promise since many people have...

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center shattered its record for the number of children who were provided health screenings during its seventh annual Back-to-School Block Party on Wednesday, Aug. 17. People stream into the front door and pack the front  lobby of Promise Community Health Center as a record 184 student received health screenings during the Back-to-School Block Party on Aug. 17. The total of 184 easily topped the 126 children served in 2015 and 104 in 2014. Along with the children who received screenings, many more people enjoyed the block party meal and activities outside of the health center in downtown Sioux Center. The event celebrated National Health Center Week. “We’re thrilled that so many families found this to be a valuable service again this year to get their children adequately prepared for school,” said Derrick Vander Waal, public relations and development coordinator for Promise. “Not only did students get required screening for school, but everyo...

SIOUX CENTER – Gabbie Lynch loved going to the dentist as a kid. Yes, it’s true. Gabbie Lynch's interest in the dental field began during appointments to the dentist as a child. She now serves as a dental assistant at Promise Community Health Center. She had a great dentist with great assistants whom she looked up to. And that got her interested in going into the dental field. Now, as a new dental assistant at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center, Gabbie can offer that same level of care to the patients who come into Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. “I previously worked at a pediatric office, and I love working with children,” she said. “Seeing them smile and feel more comfortable in a ‘scary place’ is rewarding enough.” Gabbie grew up in Sloan, IA, and graduated from Westwood High School in 2015. She earned her dental assistant diploma from Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City in May 2016 and is nitrous certified. She worked at Dunes Dental...

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center will offer two Flu Vaccine Clinics this fall. They will be held at Promise – located at 338 1st Ave. NW, Sioux Center, across from the Sioux Center city hall – on the following dates: 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21; 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19. Lester Molina prepares to get his flu shot during last year's Flu Vaccine Clinic at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. This year, Promise will offer the flu shots 3-6 p.m. Sept. 21 and Oct. 19. The influenza vaccine shots are free for youth 18 years old and under and $25 for anyone over 18 years old. Promise also accepts insurance to cover the cost of the flu vaccines. No appointments are necessary. People can walk in at any time during the flu clinics. Any child between the ages of 6-35 months will need to get two half doses that are at least 28 days apart. Therefore, parents of those children are encouraged to attend both flu clinic dates so both doses can be given to their child....