health center

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center now has a second optometrist providing vision care on a weekly basis. Dr. Tyler Vermeer of Family Eye Care of Rock Valley will see patients 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays on-site at the health center. His first day at Promise was Aug. 22. Dr. Tyler Vermeer, an optometrist for Family Eye Care of Rock Valley, has begun seeing patients weekly at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. He will take appointments 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays. He joins Dr. Dan Clousing, an optometrist for Beaver Eye Care of Sioux Center, who has been providing vision/eye care weekly at Promise since April 2016. Dr. Clousing will continue to see patients 8-noon Wednesdays at Promise. Between them, Promise now offers vision/eye care a full day per week. “It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community, and I am excited to help more people to see their best,” Dr. Vermeer said. Dr. Vermeer was exposed to the eye-care profession at an early age because his great uncle was an

SIOUX CENTER – Volunteers are the lifeblood of northwest Iowa communities. They fuel the engines of churches, schools and community organizations. Their passions spark life into programs and projects. That’s why Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center recognizes an individual, or family, every year with the Addink Community Service Award . Jayne and Rod Hofmeyer, founders of the Zestos ministry, were the honorees of the Addink Community Service Award at Promise Community Health Center's "An Evening of Promise" in 2016. Promise now is accepting nominations for this year’s honoree. The deadline to submit a nomination is Sept. 17 . “We feel it’s important to recognize a person or family through our annual community service award because unselfish giving and volunteerism are essential elements if we are to deliver the promise of a healthier community,” said Nancy Dykstra, executive director of Promise. “Unselfish giving inspires others to serve, making our community

SIOUX CENTER – Erica Robertson has developed a passion for obstetrics and newborn care since becoming a nurse. Therefore, she was excited to be offered the opportunity to receive training to become a certified lactation counselor for Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. Erica Robertson, a registered nurse at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center, has earned certification as a lactation counselor. She will use her training to enhance services to women in Promise's prenatal program. With that certification, Robertson will enhance the health center’s prenatal program. “Promise realized the need for increased lactation support and education,” she said. “If a parent decides breastfeeding is the feeding option they want to pursue, it is a big commitment that can be overwhelming at times. We want to optimize their ability to be successful.” To earn certification, Robertson took a 45-hour, one-week course through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. The cour

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center has been awarded $56,543 in federal grant funding to recognize its achievements in providing high-quality, comprehensive care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that Promise was among 1,333 community health centers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia awarded nearly $105 million as an investment in quality improvement. Iowa’s 14 health centers were awarded more than $1.1 million. The grant awards were announced during National Health Center Week. Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma and Tysa Adkins provide a dental screening during Promise Community Health Center's annual Back-to-School Block Party on Aug. 9. Promise has been awarded $56,543 in federal funding to recognize continuous quality improvement. “The award of these grant funds is meaningful to the whole Promise team,” said Nancy Dykstra, executive director for Promise. “The funds reflect Promise’s ability to measure the quality and

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center is celebrating National Health Center Week this week. Promise has a lot to celebrate. The health center offers a comprehensive array of services, including medical, prenatal, dental, vision/eye, mental health and family planning, all under one roof to its patients. The health center reaches out to all patients, no matter their life situation. In 2016, 40.2 percent of Promise’s patients were on Medicaid, and 36.4 had no insurance. Yet, Promise also cares for patients with private insurance (22.5 percent.) Promise served a record 3,886 patients in 2016 – 26.5 percent more than the previous year. Those patients came from a wide radius – 127 ZIP codes. Promise employs 41 staff, nearly 40 percent of whom are bilingual in English and Spanish. Promise Community Health Center staff is celebrating National Health Center Week this week, Aug. 13-18. Staff members reflected this week on why they love serving at Promise. Here is a sampling of their res

SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center shattered another record with 226 students being provided required health screenings during its eighth annual Back-to-School Block Party on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Nurse Kristen Schuler checks blood pressure during Promise Community Health Center's eighth annual Back-to-School Block Party on Wednesday, Aug. 9. A record 226 students received health screenings that they are required to have for school. That was 42 more than the 184 children served in 2016 and 100 more than the total of 126 in 2015. The children, their families and community members also enjoyed free food and interactive activities offered by more than a dozen community organizations in the back alley and parking lot behind Promise’s building for the block party. “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 officer for Promise. “Not on