Infusion Center Remains Open

OTTUMWA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER INFUSION CENTER REMAINS OPEN

Plans also underway to add Cardiac Cath Lab to Hospital

(July 1, 2010 – Ottumwa, Iowa.) – Officials at Ottumwa Regional Heath Center announced today that the Infusion Center at ORHC will remain open.

David Kreye, interim CEO at ORHC commented, “I know there has been lots of discussion and questions related to the ORHC Infusion Center over the last few weeks. I want to make sure the community knows the ORHC Infusion Center will remain open and will continue to be an important service we offer to the community. “

Kreye adds, “In 2009 the ORHC Infusion Center provided more than 6,400 treatments to the approximately 500 patients who were part of the program. Thanks to the hard work of our team at the Infusion Center and the support of the medical staff, we are on track to provide more treatments to more patients in 2010 than we did in 2009.”

Plans for additional services at the hospital are well underway. The hospital has recently received both the Certificate of Need and capital approval for the Cardiac Cath lab. Mr. Kreye says that “over the next few months we will have the team in place, the unit will be installed, and we will be able to offer this new, vitally important and potentially life-saving service to all in Southeast Iowa.

We are also actively recruiting physicians for all the needs identified by our board and medical staff, and are hopeful that we will begin adding both physicians and new services within the next several months.”

John Rutledge, president and COO of RegionalCare Hospital Partners, said “We are committed to being a top-quality regional hospital, and the only way to do that is through growth. Because of all the challenges in the world of healthcare, we must always work with the medical staff, community leaders, and the hospital board to identify new services, expand existing services, and improve the way we provide current services. “

Rutledge continues, “The decisions about the range and breadth of services we will offer at ORHC are very important decisions. They will be made in consultation with the medical staff, the hospital board and RegionalCare Hospital partners. We will always make these decisions based on the needs of the community and the resources (staff, equipment, capital) of the hospital.”

River Hills and Ottumwa Regional Initiate Pediatric Care Expansion

(OTTUMWA – May 13, 2010) An innovative partnership between River Hills Community Health Center and Ottumwa Pediatrics, which is part of Ottumwa Regional Health Center, was so successful during 2008 that plans have been developed to further expand the relationship into a more comprehensive and permanent arrangement to better serve the children of southeast Iowa. The partnership will provide increased access to quality pediatric primary health care services regardless of insurance coverage. “This is a milestone in healthcare evolution as we bring government and private businesses together to better serve the area,” said River Hills CEO, Rick Johnson.