2023 Progress • Health & Wellness

Serving patients better Community Health Center

By HANS MADSEN and BILL SHEA editor@messengernews.net

For the many patients who see their providers at Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, some recently completed renovations will allow the center to serve their needs even better.

The work includes an expanded dental area and additional mental health care offices.

Beyond the construction work, the center has added staff and taken some of its services into the community.

It is also switching to a new electronic health records system that, among other things, will give patients access to their information and even allow them to check in for appointments in advance.

Renae Kruckenberg, chief executive officer, and Colleen Miller, chief operating officer, are pretty sure the patients will like the improvements.

“We added four more dental operatories,” Kruckenberg said. “It allows us to see more patients. It helps keep the flow going easier.”

The additional four chairs make for a total of 12. The design and decor are similar to what was already there so everything matches.

Kruckenberg said the goal is to have a total of four dentists at the center this year.

She said the changes are a response to changes in state Medicaid guidelines for managed care organizations for children.

“A lot of dentists don’t accept patients with MCOs,” she said. “It increases the need for youth dental services. It’s our way of responding to our community’s

need. Health Centers do that.”

The center also added a mobile dental unit that goes to local elementary schools to help provide care for children.

“The Fort Dodge Noon Rotary raised the funds and allowed us to purchase it,” Kruckenberg said.

Kruckenberg and Miller both said that if it’s successful, they want to expand that program.

In the behavioral health department, several additions in space and staff will allow the Community Health Center to better serve the mental health needs of the community.

“We added four additional rooms, we hired three new therapists and an additional social worker,” Kruckenberg said.

A total of nine providers care for patients in the behavioral health department.

She said there’s a great need in the community for mental health services.

“There was a need before,” she said. “When COVID came, it exemplified the need for mental health services. The

three new therapists, their panels are almost full. They’re booked out at two weeks, usually that takes a year.”

She hopes to make more use of the help.

“We try to remove the stigma,” she said. “It’s OK not to be OK.’’

She said many of the patients just need someone to talk to help them sort out their lives and learn day-to-day coping

skills.Some need help dealing with past trauma.

The Health Center has also added a group therapy room for which certification is being sought. The center also hopes to provide more substance abuse counseling.

Some other additions to the Health Center include a renovated administrative area with a conference space, a new gym for the staff and a new break room with a full kitchen.

There’s also a new elevator between the two floors of the building. And in case of a power failure, there is a newly installed generator that can keep the lights and everything else in the building running.

X-ray equipment has been added, which the staff is training with. Kruckenberg said the training will be complete by the end of May and basic X-rays will then be available at the center.

Center staff members joke that 2023 will be an EPIC year because EPIC is the new electronic health records system they will be switching to. That system is expected to go live in September.

“It’s going to be important both to our patients and our staff,” Miller said.

Kruckenberg said EPIC will give patients access to their charts, enable them to correspond with their providers and check in for appointments in advance.

“You can check in from your phone so you don’t have to stand in line,” she said.

THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER of Fort Dodge offers a wide variety of medical, dental and behavioral health care.

Renae Kruckenberg

Colleen Miller

-Submitted photo

UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center

Consolidating services

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net

Mammography and rehabilitation services were moved onto the main campus of UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center in a shift intended to create a convenient and cost effective site for patient care.

The shift of those services was one of the most noticeable changes at the Fort Dodge hospital in 2022.

During the past year, the hospital gained national recognition for some of its orthopedic care by becoming the first one in Iowa to receive the DNV Hip and Knee Replacement Program Certification.

That certification recognizes excellence in hip and knee replacement surgery and related procedures, including diagnosis, surgery and therapy.

Consolidation and building Changes

For years, patients needing physical therapy had to go to the Highland Park Center on South 25th Street.

Meanwhile, women had to go to the Norma Schmoker Women's Center across Kenyon Road from the hospital to get mammograms and other services.

That all ended in November.

After months of renovations, rehabilitation services and women's services both opened in the main hospital building.

Trinity Rehabilitation opened inside the hospital not far from Entrance C in the back of the main building.

The renamed Norma Schmoker Imagining Center opened on the second floor of the Atrium in the front of the main building. It is located with UnityPoint Clinic Obstetrics and Gynecology, creating one area for women's health needs.

Other visible changes at the hospital

building include the reopening of Entrance C. That’s the entrance patients use to go to Trinity Lymphedema, Trinity Rehabilitation and the Wound Center.

Also, the Diabetes Center moved. It can now be reached by an entrance on the front of the main building, west of the main entrance.

awards and honors

The hospital and its employees received many honors during the past year.

In addition to the hip and knee replacement certification, honors for the hospital included:

n The 2021 Patient Experience Award for Courtesy and Respect of the Care Provider for UnityPoint Clinic Express.

n Center of Distinction Award for the Trinity Wound Healing Center.

American Heart Association awards for cardiovascular and stroke care.

n National accreditation for the Norma Schmoker Cancer Center from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.

n Sleep Lab Accreditation for the Trinity Sleep Disorders Center.

n MI Registry Platinum Performance Award for the American College of Cardiology.

employee of the month awards

January: Katherine Tierney, pharmacy

February: Ashley Edler, Emergency Services

March: Kristen Green

April: Hailey Busch, MRI technologist lead

May: Chelsie Dobney, Human Resources

June: Joan Kitten, Berryhill Center

July: Suzanne Fallon, employee health coordinator

August: Jessica Bailey, UnityPoint Clinic Kenyon Road - Gastroenterology

September: Linda Arends, lymphedema

October: Heather Winkler, Rehabilitation Services

November: Ashley Cunningham, UnityPoint Clinic Kenyon Road — Gastroenterology

daisy award winners

Caitlyn Anderson, Resource Pool

Madysen Minor, Outpatient Surgery

Tara lager, Infusion Center

Lori Algoe, Infusion Center

Kari Constable, Birth Center

Mackensie Brennan -Rowe, Acute Care

-Messenger file photo by Bill Shea

BRE AHRENS, center in tan jacket, who is the clinic supervisor for UnityPoint Health OB/GYN, and Sara Johnson, clinic adminstrator for UnityPoint Health Ob/GYN, prepare to snip a green ribbon to commemorate the opening of a site in UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center that combines obstetrics, gynecology and mammography services. The celebration was held Nov. 16, 2022.

We are open to all, regardless of insurance status. We accept patients who are uninsured, underinsured and accept most private insurance. We have a sliding fee scale for those who qualify.

ARNP Dayton

Ann Feser ARNP

Lisa Chase ARNP

Janet Secor DO Elizabeth Stoebe DO Medical Director

Kimberly Bair Medical Assistant

Tayler Rasch ARNP

Angela McGregor DNP, PMHNP, ARNP-FNP

Eileen Meier PMHNP Kirsten Olson LISW

Holly McClintock PMHNP

Courtney Underwood tLMHC

Debra Delp RN Care Coordinator

Brandy Gibbons CMA

Alyssa Pflibsen Social Worker

Jennifer Crouse CMA

SydnieCMABauch

Linnea Newell Social Worker

Michelle Vought Reception

Laurie Towne Reception

Christie Murray Dayton Reception Wendy Terpstra Operator

Lydia Dones Reception Kaley Feser Reception

Lyndsey Frazier Dental Billing

Cassy GeorgeBenefits and Recruitment

Joshua Hannagan IT Specialist Samantha Kruckenberg Project Manager

Amanda Seehusen Medical Records

Sî, hablamos español.

Katie Riehl PMHNP

Christie Knapp Billing

Pocahontas County

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net

POCAHONTAS — Trained personnel, both paid and volunteer, are prepared to come to the rescue whenever someone needs emergency care in Pocahontas County.

The county’s voters decided in November that they are willing to pay some additional taxes to make sure that emergency medical service remains available.

Those voters approved the levies by a roughly 78 percent margin in the November general election.

“The people of Pocahontas County spoke loud and clear that they want emergency medical service to be an essential service for their county,” said James Roetman, the chief executive officer and administrator of Pocahontas

Community Hospital.

For a long time, emergency medical service was not considered an essential service like police and fire protection in the state of Iowa. A law enacted in 2021 declared EMS to be an essential service and made it possible for counties to enact levies to pay for it.

After that law was approved, a committee of hospital and community leaders began working on a funding proposal to be submitted to the voters.

The proposal called for a property tax of 21 cents per $1,000 of taxable value and a 1 percent income tax.

The voters approved that plan on Nov. 8.

A 60 percent majority was needed, but by the time the polls closed 78.44 percent of the voters had cast their ballot in favor of the EMS levies.

“That was overwhelming,” Roetman said.

“This was a group effort by a lot of people in Pocahontas County,” he added. “I want to thank everybody for their efforts to help get this passed.”

The two new taxes will generate an estimated $250,000 a year for EMS.

That money won’t start coming in for a while, though.

The new property tax will go into effect on July 1. The new income tax will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Roetman said it will be 18 months before any of that revenue starts coming in.

will begin much sooner, however. The county’s 13-member Emergency Medical Service Advisory Committee will prepare a budget. Roetman said that will be the first step.

Pocahontas Community Hospital has the largest EMS unit in the county, with three ambulances at the hospital and one in Laurens. It is the only provider of paramedic level care and the only one with paid personnel.

Fonda and Rolfe have ambulance services.

Gilmore City and Palmer have first responder units that treat patients before the ambulance arrives, but do not transport patients.

-Messenger file photo by Bill Shea SHELLEY STUMPF, an emergency medical technician, and David Kraft, a paramedic, check equipment in the back of a Pocahontas Community Hospital ambulance. Kraft is holding the cables used to connect a patient to a heart monitor.

Next Edge Performance

KELSEY FELCH, manager of Next Edge Performance in Fort Dodge, completes a hand-eye coordination drill using the Reflexion system. That system is a new acquistion for the fitness facility, which opened in a new site at 326 S. 25th St. in May.

A new home, more features

offer them to members 24 hours a day.

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net

Kelsey Felch’s hands were a blur as they flitted across a black screen, touching groups of green lights as soon as they lit up.

In less than a minute, Felch, the manager of Next Edge Performance in Fort Dodge, completed the handeye coordination drill on the Reflexion system, one of the newest items in the health and wellness center’s new location.

Next Edge Performance opened at 326 S. 25th St. in April, after moving just a few blocks north of its former location at 2419 Fifth Ave. S.

The move enables the center to provide some new services, including free weights and exercise machines, and

Justin Faiferlick

The move was also the first step to bringing Next Edge Performance and Faiferlick Taekwondo, Martial Arts, SelfDefense and Fitness LLC together at the same site. Both businesses are owned by Justin Faiferlick.

The new Next Edge Performance location is in a former trophy shop that was later a site for laser tag games. The martial arts studio moved into the former Ridgewood Lanes right next store.

Faiferlick described Next Edge Performance as a “complete health and wellness center.” It first opened in May 2020.

The new site offers all of the services clients enjoyed at the previous site.

Those services include: cryotherapy, infrared sauna, fitness pod, oxygen bar, red light therapy, pulsed electromagnetic

See NEXT EDGE, Page 7D

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea

Next Edge offers a 'complete health and wellness center'

Iowa Specialty Hospital

Robot joins surgeons in Clarion

CLARION — Orthopedic surgeons at Iowa Specialty Hospital in Clarion now have a robotic assistant to help them do knee replacement surgeries.

The device is known as a Robotic Surgical Assistant and is called ROSA for short.

Orthopedic Specialists, a team of orthopedic surgeons that treats patients in Fort Dodge, Clarion and other communities, received the ROSA on May 1. Since then, multiple knee replacement surgeries have been completed with the assistance of the device.

“My partners and myself, we love it because it has been proven to be extremely accurate,” said Dr. Emile

Li, an orthopedic surgeon. “All of us have been extremely impressed with the stability of the new knee the patient gets.”

Li and his fellow surgeons stress that ROSA is not some kind of android that performs operations on people. They describe it as a tool that enables the surgeon doing the operation to make very precise measurements and cuts.

“It does not resemble R2D2 or C3PO,” said Dr. Mark Palit. “It is merely a mechanical device that allows placement of the instruments which guide us in cutting the bone more accurately.”

See ROSA, Page 7D

--Submitted photo THE ROBOTIC SURGICAL ASSISTANT, also known as ROSA, is a tool used by surgeons with Orthopedic Specialists to help with total knee replacememt procedures.

Next Edge

Continued from Page 5D

therapy, high intensity interval training, yoga, botox and IV therapy.

The Reflexion machine is one the the new additions Faiferlick said using it improves visual and cognitive skills. He said its use trains the eyes and the brain to make them stronger. He said it is very similar to training a muscle to make it stronger.

The machine offers 13 different drills. Each drill addresses eye tracking, handeye coordination, reaction time, peripheral awareness and depth perception.

A sensory deprivation system was added to the center’s offerings. Felch described it as a “very relaxing experience.”

“It just allows your body to fully relax and reset,” she said.

Also new to Next Edge Performance are exercise bikes, weightlifting machines, treadmills, a climber and free weights.

The new site has received an enthusiastic response from clients, according to Faiferlick.

“Customers love the 24/7 access,” he said. “They love the new facility.”

ROSA

Continued from Page 6D

“The surgeon is still doing the operation,” Li said. “I tell my patients that the robot has an arm that positions the jig and I hold the saw and control it.”

Before any cutting is done, the surgeons use the computer on the ROSA to plan the operation. Once the operation begins, the arm on the robot is extended and used to hold the jig while the surgeon uses the saw and other instruments. The robot is about 3 feet tall and has wheels so that it can be moved around.

Li said the surgeons at Orthopedic Specialists had not used robots before. He said they are a recent addition to orthopedics. Using robots to assist with hip and shoulder replacements will be the next step, he said.

Patients who have received new knees with the help of the robot are very satisfied with the outcomes, according to Palit. ”Most patients are quite eager to jump on the latest in medical technology advances,” he said.

JEFFERSON • CHURDAN • SCRANTON GRAND JUNCTION • PATON • RIPPEY • DANA

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea

WEIGHT-LIFTING MACHINES and resistance training equipment line one wall at Next Edge Performance. The fitness center opened in its new site at 326 S. 25th St. in May.

Redefining rural health care Stewart Memorial Community Hospital

$31 million hospital expansion in Lake City nears completion

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

LAKE CITY — After the Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the football field on Jan. 2, it was a shocking reminder that seconds count during a health emergency. While the NFL is far removed from Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH), this rural hospital’s $31 million renovation/ expansion project in Lake City is providing the latest technology and high-quality medical care, close to home.

“When we broke ground in September 2020, our goal was to expand SMCH’s medical services, as well as improve efficiency, safety, security and privacy throughout the hospital,” said Cindy Carstens, CEO of Stewart Memoroial, a 25-bed, critical-access hospital. “It’s exciting to see all this become a reality.”

While the entire project is on track to be completed by late summer 2023, some parts of the expansion project are already open, including the new emergency department. This area is three times bigger than the previous emergency area.

“Each trauma bay in this new facility is similar to the size of the entire three-bay area in the previous emergency room and offers much more privacy for

patients,” said Lara Cornelius, SMCH’s emergency department director.

The medical equipment in each trauma bay can connect with Avel eCare, which takes telemedicine to the next level. SMCH works with the Sanford Health system in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to provide the highest quality of care, whenever it’s needed.

“With this technology, we always have access to medical specialists,” Carstens said. “This is especially valuable for medical emergencies we deal with infrequently, such as burn patients.”

The expanded emergency department also includes X-ray equipment and a CT scanner, making it easier for health care providers to quickly and efficiently examine trauma patients. In addition, the emergency department features specially-designed exam rooms to accommodate patients with behavioral health needs. A consult room provides a private space where patients’ loved ones can meet with health care providers or a member of the clergy during their time of need.

“The entire emergency department is a quieter, calmer environment that’s much more soothing than the previous system,” Cornelius said.

No detail has been

overlooked. A new helicopter landing area separate from the main traffic flow is located near the new ambulance garage by the emergency department. Thanks to the renovation process, separate hallways for public and private use will create

rehab-services therapy facility that’s part of Stewart Memorial’s “Putting People First” $31 million renovation/ expansion project.

“This new space is three times bigger than our previous therapy area,” Carstens said.

With an array of exercise and therapy equipment, a basketball hoop, daylight windows and private treatment rooms, this facility is a generous gift from Nancy and Gus Macke, long-time Lake City residents and owners of Macke Motors in Lake City. This new rehab center, which is named in honor of the philanthropic couple’s family, is allowing the hospital’s six physical therapists, two speech therapists and two occupational therapists to serve a wide range of needs.

more privacy for patients, both in the emergency department and throughout the hospital.

smCh expands therapy serviCes

People are especially excited about the modern, spacious,

A sensory therapy area serves children with attention deficit issues and autism spectrum needs. Smith Memorial also offers Bioness Integrated Therapy System (BITS), a large, interactive touch-screen therapy device to measure hand-eye coordination, reaction time, depth perception and more. BITS also supports treatment of memory and attention deficits related to dementia, stroke or post-illness issues.

“If you’re wondering if it’s safe for a loved one to continue driving, we offer a driving screening process with BITS

See SMCH, Page 9D

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby CINDY CARSTENS, left, CEO of Stewart Memorial Community Hospital in Lake City, and Lara Cornelius, emergency department director, stand in one of the spacious, new emergency room bays, which is now in use at the hospital.

SMCH

Continued from Page 8D

to measure reaction time and other key factors,” Carstens said.

For patients with chronic softtissue pain or calcium deposits, the hospital’s therapy department offers radial pulsewave therapy (RPT). This technology is most commonly used to treat chronic foot, heel and ankle pain. However it can be used on many soft tissue issues.

“It’s effective for shin splints, plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, jumper’s knee and similar conditions that don’t respond well to traditional therapies,” said Rachel Judisch, director of rehabilitation services. “We’re one of only four providers in Iowa that offer RPT.”

RPT uses a low electromagnetic impulse to create a wave that penetrates into a targeted area, breaking up scar tissue and adhesions that put pressure on the surrounding nerves. Reducing pressure and increasing blood circulation

to the problem area promotes healing and increases range of motion.

Amy Vote experienced life-changing results when she tried RPT at Stewart Memorial. A calcium deposit in her shoulder caused her severe pain. She’d planned on having surgery to remove the deposit, but RPT reduced it by 90 percent, allowing her to avoid surgery and return to her favorite activities painfree.

“I’ve gone back to my normal activities — working out, lifting weights, and even playing volleyball — with no pain,” Vote said.

putting people first

Other improvements that are part of the hospital’s renovation/expansion project include more dedicated space for women’s health services provided by Stewart Memorial’s physical therapy team.

This is especially important

for patients dealing with urinary incontinence, pelvic pain and pelvic floor problems. While many people believe these challenges are a normal part of aging, or something women have to live with after having kids, this couldn't be farther from the truth. These disorders often can be improved or reversed with treatment, according to Ann Riat, an SMCH physical therapist.

“We used to have to take patients to areas by the operating room to provide these services, due to space limitations,” Carstens added. “Now we have a comfortable, private space within the rehab department where we can provide better patient care.”

SMCH continues to provide a wide range of obstetrics and gynecology services.

“We’ve had close to 90 babies a year born at SMCH each year for the last several years,” Carstens noted.

In addition, the hospital is offering

expanded cardiac rehab services and respiratory therapy, including sleep studies. The Stewart Memorial team is currently assessing the feasibility of offering a pulmonary rehab program.

“We incorporated extra space throughout this expansion/renovation project to allow SMCH to accommodate patients’ needs for years to come,” said Carstens, who added that the hospital also has clinics in Lake View, Rockwell City and Gowrie.

The $31 million expansion/ renovation project in Lake City is helping Stewart Memorial recruit and retain top medical professionals.

“Homegrown talent is helping us meet the needs of older patients, younger patients and everyone in between,” Carstens said. “All this is helping make SMCH a catalyst for more local economic development and improved patient care as we put people first.”

Fort Dodge Fire Department

Building, vehicle upgrades planned

By BILL SHEA editor@messengernews.net

The year 2023 promises to be one of new advances for the Fort Dodge Fire Department.

The department is beginning the year with new Assistant Fire Chief Matt Price in office.

A building addition that is finally underway is now expected to be completed in May.

And a new engine is expected to arrive at the firehouse soon.

While buildings and trucks are eyecatching, a much less visible change

for the department will impact the way future firefighters are recruited and hired.

“We’re removing any barriers to hiring people,” Fire Chief Steve Hergrenreter said. “We’re trying to make it easier for people to get in and take our test.”

To do that, the department has joined a group of Des Moines metro area departments that conduct one computerbased civil service exam for entry level firefighters.

new assistant Chief

Price came to Fort Dodge from the Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire Department near Des Moines, where he was a captain and emergency medical

Fort Dodge Police Department

service coordinator. His first day on the job here was Oct. 31.

As assistant fire chief, Price will be in charge of day-to-day operations, including standard operating procedures, training, recruitment and retention.

“I’m coming here for the long term,” he said. “My intent is to serve the community. I want to provide them with the best fire and EMS we can manage.”

building addition

The addition on the north side of the firehouse at 1515 Central Ave. will provide space for offices and a conference room. It will also become the new main entry to the building. Additionally, the overhead doors on the 15th Street side of the building will be

replaced as part of the project.

Kolacia Construction, of Fort Dodge, has a $1,374,000 contract for the project.

Hergenreter said the addition is expected to be done in early May.

new truCk

The new truck will be a pumper. It will be able to pump 1,750 gallons of water per minute. It will carry 500 gallons of water to put out small fires and to start the initial attack on larger fires. It will also carry 25 gallons of foam.

It will replace a 2011 pumper with a long history of mechanical problems.

See FD FIRE, Page 11D

FDPD welcomes new officers, prepares for chief

By KELBY WINGERT kwingert@messengernews.net

The last year was a year of growth for the Fort Dodge Police Department, which welcomed six new officers to its ranks, as well as a new community officer.

Officers Vic Slape, Dominic Morriss, Max Patkins, Zach Colin, Keaton Schultz and Ciara Sturm joined the force in 2022.

Community service officer Ben Westergaard started as the community service officer in the summer, a position created in March.

Downtown parking enforcement is the community service officer’s primary responsibility, but the officer will also do things such as getting abandoned vehicles towed away, helping the inspectors charged with nuisance violation enforcement and picking up bicycles and other abandoned property.

In January of this year, a proposal to gradually expand the department’s numbers in an effort to provide more proactive policing was presented at a Fort Dodge City Council meeting. The proposal would begin by adding three more officers in the fiscal year that begins July 1, two more officers in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, and another three in the 2025-2026 fiscal year,

finally reaching the total of 48 officers.

“Basically what it boils down to is proactive patrolling,” Police Chief Roger Porter said.

“Again, 48 means more coverage for our city,” he added. “It means being more proactive and getting guns off the street, getting violent crimes off the street. Having 48 means we can go out and talk to our citizens, build those bridges with our community.”

2023 will be a year of change for the department. After nearly three decades in law enforcement, Chief Roger Porter is ready to hang up his hat.

Porter plans to retire from the department in April.

“I look forward to starting a new

chapter and doing something a little different,” Porter told The Messenger in October.

The chief said he’ll be turning 55 in April and eligible to receive his retirement pension. He also wants to spend more time with his family and maybe start a second career.

“I want to be young enough to do something different,” Porter said. “I don’t want to be too old and not be able to do different things with my life.”

Porter’s tenure at the Fort Dodge department started in 1996 when he was hired as an officer under thenPolice Chief Ivan Metzger. Over the

See FD POLICE, Page 11D

Steve Hergenreter

Roger Porter

FD Fire

Continued from Page 10D

aCComplishments of 2022

A committee of six firefighters wrote 250 pages of specifications for a truck called a tower ladder that will eventually replace the department’s 16-yearold ladder truck.

The purchase of the new rig, costing about $1.6 million, was approved by the City Council, but it will take a couple years to build it.

During the past year, the department received a new breathing air compressor used to refill the self-contained breathing apparatus worn by firefighters.

FD Police

Continued from Page 10D

years, Porter worked his way up the ranks, receiving a promotion to sergeant in November 2000. He was later promoted to lieutenant in 2004, and then to captain in November 2007. From September 2014 until the Fort Dodge City Council appointed him chief, Porter also served as the acting assistant police chief.

Porter was appointed chief of police by Fort Dodge City Manager David Fierke in March 2017, and was confirmed by the city council later that month. Porter became chief on July 3, replacing the late Chief Kevin Doty, who retired in December 2017.

The Civil Service Commission met in November to discuss recruitment for Porter’s replacement. Applications were open from November to midJanuary. Those applicants will be screened in early February for advancement. Interviews of candidates are expected to take place Feb. 20 through March 3. Candidates will interview with three panels with members being community leaders, key partners, police executive peers, city management and police officers.

City Manager David Fierke is expected to make a selection from the results of those interviews and panel assessments by March 10 and extend a conditional offer.

Welc e to Algona

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea

A CONSTRUCTION WORKER on a lift works on the steel framing of an addition that is being constructed onto the Fort Dodge firehouse at 1515 Central Ave. The addition, which will serve as the main entrance to the building, will house three offices and a conference room. Kolacia Construction, of Fort Dodge, has a $1,374,000 contract for the job.

Webster County Sheriff's Office

New LEC, jail proposed for Webster Co.

By KELBY WINGERT kwingert@messengernews.net

A new law enforcement center and jail could be in the cards for Fort Dodge and Webster County.

In January 2022, Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener was joined by representatives of The Samuels Group, of West Des Moines, and Venture Architects, of Milwaukee, to present the results of a jail study to the Fort Dodge City Council and Webster County Board of Supervisors.

The current Webster County Law Enforcement Center, located at 702 First Ave. S., is nearly 40 years old and the departments housed in the building have simply outgrown the space, according to the sheriff.

The current jail on the third floor of the LEC can hold a maximum of 56 inmates. It also has a linear design that creates safety and security problems, according to John Sabinash of Venture Architects.

“It tends to be a staff-intensive way of managing things and persons in custody,” he said. “It also becomes extremely camera dependent.”

In a linear design with the inmate cells running along tight hallways, sightlines into the cells become difficult, creating contraband problems, staffing inefficiencies and an increased potential for inmate and staff assaults.

The proposed design for a new jail has a “podular” set-up, with a central control room surrounded by two levels of cells in a horseshoe formation, allowing the staff in the control room to have a direct line of sight into each cell. The proposed design will house 82 beds in the pod, with the option of expanding to 139 beds with double-bunking if needed.

The inability to expand the jail floor to add beds for more inmates has caused

significant issues over the last several years.

Last year, Webster County spent over $300,000 to house jail inmates in other counties because the Webster County Jail lacked either the space or the staffing needed. That number does not include the cost to transport the inmates from those other county jails to Fort Dodge for court hearings and then back to the jails.

As of last spring, around 884 individuals were waiting to serve time for non-violent misdemeanors. These individuals have been sentenced to short jail stays, often just a few days to a week, but because of the overcrowding have been unable to complete their sentences.

In May, Fleener gave the Board of Supervisors an initial cost estimate for the project. A new joint LEC and jail for the Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Dodge Police Department could cost as much as $57 million with all the bells and whistles like an indoor firing range, covered fleet parking and more.

At the bare minimum, a new single-story jail and support areas with administrative and office areas for both departments will likely cost just under $48 million.

The potential tax impacts of building a new LEC on Webster County residents

was also addressed at that May meeting.

If a $50 million 20-year general obligation bond referendum were to be approved by the voters of the county, a homeowner with a property value of $88,770 would pay approximately $70 in additional property taxes to fund the potential new LEC.

new faCes

Some new faces joined the Webster County Sheriff’s Office in 2022.

Former Dayton Police Chief Nick Dunbar joined the department as a deputy after the county entered a 28E agreement with the city of Otho to provide law enforcement patrol. Dunbar started patrolling Otho in July.

After the July 2022 termination of former Webster County Jail Administrator Shawna Dencklau, Fleener hired Mark Gargano to head the jail staff. Gargano, who has more than four decades of security and law enforcement experience, started in September. “I am super excited to be a part of the Sheriff’s Department team and the Webster County Jail,” Gargano said when he was introduced at the October Webster County Crime Stoppers meeting.

From 2001 to 2018, Gargano served

with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office Reserves, about half of that time as the unit’s commander.

Following Dunbar’s departure from Dayton, the Sheriff’s Office entered a 28E agreement with the city of Dayton to hire another deputy to patrol the city. As of midJanuary, the department is still looking to hire and fill that role.

retirement

After nearly eight years on patrol, one member of the Webster County Sheriff’s Office is ready to put his paws up and enjoy the good life — and probably a fair number of belly rubs.

Swamper, a 12-year-old Belgian Malinois, has been the K-9 officer for the Sheriff’s Office since January 2015. His two-legged partner is Sgt. Tony Walter.

“He’s been a huge asset for us, as far as narcotic seizures, tracking suspects, apprehension and protection,” Walter said.

The sheriff’s office announced Swamper’s upcoming retirement in October. After nearly a decade of service to Webster County, Swamper’s aging body just can’t keep up with the daily demands of the job. Swamper will spend his twilight years as just a family dog with Walter’s family.

There’s no exact date planned for Swamper’s retirement, but upon his retirement, Walter will also be hanging up the leash and passing the torch of the department’s K-9 handler to Deputy Tyler Holbrook. Walter will remain on patrol with the Sheriff’s Office.

Purchasing and training a police dog is not cheap. According to Chief Deputy Derek Christie, the initial investment in a new K-9 officer will be in the neighborhood of $20,000.

Holbrook is hoping to ease the county taxpayers of that burden, so the department launched a fundraiser for the K-9 program. The Webster County Sheriff’s Office has a K-9 fund with the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and welcomes any donations.

Luke Fleener

THIS IS A RENDERING of possible design features of a proposed new Webster County Law Enforcement Center. The Webster County Board of Supervisors and Fort Dodge City Council heard a presentation on the results of a jail study conducted this fall by the Samuels Group. No action has been taken yet on the project.

-Illustration courtesy of the Samuels Group and Venture Architects

Golden Day Adult Day Program Offering a safe, caring

By KELBY WINGERT kwingert@messengernews.net

When the Schmoker Adult Day Services at Friendship Haven were indefinitely suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19, Danielle Jessen had nowhere to go.

Jessen had been going to Adult Day since 2010. She’d go on Friday afternoons after school to play bingo. When she graduated, she began attending more often, enjoying the activities offered for adults with disabilities and special needs.

“Not only was this beneficial for her, but also for her family,” her mom Angie Jessen explained. “While she was attending Adult Day, I could go to work, knowing she was keeping busy and having fun with her friends and was in a safe environment. While she was attending, I

also had time for myself, which is very important for any caregiver.”

When the program at Friendship Haven closed, it was hard for her whole family, Angie Jessen said. She told her family’s story at the ribbon-cutting for the new Golden Day Adult Day Program in May 2022.

The program’s mission is to provide safe and caring adult services that will offer meaningful programs to enhance the dignity, independence and quality of life of older persons and individuals with disabilities. The program is run entirely by volunteers and is currently held at Citizens Central on alternating Mondays.

“I just like hanging out with my friends and having time to myself,” Danielle Jessen said. She said she enjoys

bowling, playing bingo and watching the classic 1980s sitcom “Golden Girls” at Golden Day.

Beth Plautz's son Adam, who lives with Angelman Syndrome, was just beginning to attend the Adult Day services as he readied to graduate high school in 2020. “For him to have socialization and interactions with his friends, it really helps,” she said. “When COVID hit, we didn’t have anywhere to go. We were all scared because we thought that we’d be forgotten.”

That’s why Plautz and Angie Jessen and others decided to come together to start a new program.

For now, Golden Day only has a handful of participants, but Plautz has high hopes for the program’s future. She said she hopes that as more participants join, they’ll be able to have the program open on a more regular basis — five days a week.

In October, surrounded by spooky decorations of spiders and ghosts and witches, state Rep. Ann Meyer, a member of the 100 Women Who Care group, announced that the organization had chosen Golden Day as the recipient of its fall donation — totaling more than $10,000.

The 100 Women Who Care donation is “huge” for Golden Day to take the next steps to become full-time, Beth Plautz said.

Golden Day Adult Day meets every other Monday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Citizens Central, 617 Central Ave. To

JOSH EGER, holding a Chucky doll, and Danielle Jessen, dressed as Sophia from “The Golden Girls,” share a moment at the Golden Day Adult Day program’s Halloween party at Citizens Central in 2022.

attend, RSVP through the Facebook group “Golden Day Adult Day” or call 515-571-1423.

Charitable donations can be sent to Golden Day Adult Day at the Fort Dodge Community Foundation, 24 N. Ninth St., Ste. B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

Greater Crater Days, Manson Aquatic Center, Manson Area Community Center, Manson Golf & Country Club, Twin Lakes Recreation Area

-Messenger file photo by Kelby Wingert

EMS Taking care to the next level with Ceribell

By KELBY WINGERT kwingert@messengernews.net

HUMBOLDT — With a piece of new technology, the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Service hopes to be a trailblazer in optimizing diagnosis and treatment of patients having seizures.

The Ceribell is a portable rapidresponse EEG device that wraps a series of sensors around the head with a headband that then connects to a computer that reads the information picked up by the sensors to determine the severity of the seizure.

When a patient is having a nonconvulsive seizure, it’s impossible for medics and physicians to know it’s happening or to what severity without the use of an EEG machine reading the patient’s brainwaves, said Victor Bycroft, chief nurse executive of HCMH. The problem is that EEG machines are large, bulky, expensive, time consuming and many hospitals don’t own one, so it can take up to 12 hours to get a patient transported to a medical center equipped with an EEG machine.

A conventional EEG requires a specialized technician to attach a series of sensors that can take up to an hour to place. With the Ceribell, a patient’s EEG reading takes just minutes.

By being able to accurately gauge the severity of a patient’s seizure, medics and physicians can provide faster and more precise treatment, rather than over-medicating or under-medicating the patient, Bycroft said.

The Ceribell can be used on patients ages 2 and up. The company is working on developing a neonatal headband for use with infants and toddlers.

“It’s really a game changer for us in

the field,” said Paramedic Jordan Erie, who is the EMS unit’s leader. “It’s amazing being able to tell that a patient’s having a non-convulsive seizure.”

Humboldt County Memorial Hospital received two Ceribell devices — one is used in the emergency room, while the Emergency Medical Service has the other.

Humboldt EMS is one of just three EMS providers in the country who are using the Ceribell, and the only one in Iowa. Nationwide, about 400 hospitals have a Ceribell device, but none are in this area, Erie said.

Humboldt EMS and the hospital are part of a pilot study on the use of the Ceribell through the University of New Mexico.

“We’re hoping that with the data we’re collecting that we can make this the gold standard for EMS,” Erie said. “I would love to see this on every EMS service across the state.”

The Ceribell device is so new — it was developed in 2018 — that the state of Iowa’s Bureau of Emergency Medical and Trauma Services doesn’t have any guidance on its use. “We’re working with the state to actually develop protocols for EMS,” Erie said.

With the devices already proving their worth, Erie believes the Ceribell will be here to stay.

“I do expect this to be the standard in five years,” he said.

The Ceribell may be used for more than seizures in the future, Bycroft said. The company is working on developing software so the device can be used to detect strokes, concussions and more.

“This is a tool that we really need here in this rural area,” he said. “This is going to be a huge benefit for our patients.”

Webster County Telecommunications Center

911 center welcomes new director

By KELBY WINGERT kwingert@messengernews.net

As the transition from a New Jersey company managing the Webster County Telecommunications Center to the Webster County Sheriff’s Office taking the reins, a new director of communication has been hired by the county.

Webster County Director of Communication Brain Hitchcock started in early June to oversee the transition from IXP’s management to the Sheriff’s Office over the following several weeks. He was hired by the Webster County Board of Supervisors in May with an annual salary of $75,500.

Hitchcock comes with a resume that includes nine years in the military, three decades in 911 emergency communications and many years managing emergency dispatch centers across the Midwest.

“I built new 911 centers, pulling different teams together,” he said. “The hardest one I did was Lake County, Indiana, where we had to pull together 15 different dispatch centers serving half a million people.”

He said with that dispatch center, and three other similar centers, he had to create all the standard operating procedures and all the human resources policies.

Most recently, he was the 911 manager for the city of Peoria, Illinois.

The Webster County Telecommunications Center had been under the management of the New Jerseybased IXP Corp. for the last three years. Prior to that, management of the Telecom Center would fall under the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Dodge Police Department in alternating years.

The discussion on the move to outsource management of the telecommunications center started in 2018. According to previous reporting, the Telecom Board considered outside help because the dispatch system at the

time “lacked structure.”

Many local first responders opposed the move to outsource the dispatch center’s management, but in June 2019, the Webster County Telecom Board signed a five-year contract with IXP for $560,000 the first year. The Telecom Board also retained the option to opt out of the contract early if not satisfied with IXP’s service.

After Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener took office in 2021, he looked at how the management could be brought back to Webster County.

“Across the state, there’s a lot of sheriff’s offices that run their dispatch center to control it locally and have an influence over the people that work there and listen to ways to make it better,” Fleener said.

Both men said that IXP has done a fine job of managing the Telecom Center, but having a local manager could meet the needs of the county better.

“I think it’s a little bit harder to manage from afar,” Hitchcock said.

“It’s just a little bit easier when you have somebody that directly manages it.”

As he begins his role here, Hitchcock said he’s looking at the current operations of the center and seeing where improvements can be made.

“I have to interview people, I have to find out what they like and what they don’t like about the operation,” he said. “I’ll look at the technology side of things — where can improvements be made?”

He said he’ll look at the center’s standard operating procedures and update those as well.

“Long-term, we’ll be looking at what we can do to help further assist citizens that are in need, how we can speed up dispatch times and accuracy.”

Hitchcock brings a wealth of experience to the role of communications director.

Hitchcock enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1981. During advanced training for radio communication, he was recruited to work as a communication technician in the White House during the President Ronald Reagan administration.

“The class was only like 13 weeks long, but I was held over there because I had to wait for the top secret presidential clearance, which took a total of six or nine months,” he said. “They actually sent Secret Service agents up to farms that I worked at in northern Wisconsin in high school.”

Once he started at the White House, Hitchcock provided communications for the president, vice president and other staff. During his time as a communications switchboard operator, Hitchcock had a front row seat to history.

“I was at the White House switchboard in ’83 when the bombing in Beirut at the Marine barracks happened,” he recalled.

Hitchcock also remembers being at the switchboard during the invasion of Grenada in October 1983.

Hitchcock left the Army in 1989 after an injury during a leadership course in Germany left him with a dislocated hip.

In the three decades Hitchcock has worked in emergency 911 communications, he’s seen the industry go through monumental changes.

Innovations like cell phones, GPS tracking and computer technology have completely changed the landscape of emergency communications.

It wasn’t just the experience Hitchcock has gained over the years that made him a prime candidate to direct Webster County’s Telecom Center.

“When going through our interview process, one of the things that stood out was his experience, his leadership ability and that he hit a lot on customer service, which is important, I think, for people that are calling in here,” Fleener said.

Good customer service is paramount to emergency communications, Hitchcock said. “When somebody calls into 911, they’re at their worst possible time of need, and the last thing they need to be confronted by is with somebody that doesn’t care or somebody that has a brash attitude,” he said.

-Messenger file photo by Kelby Wingert

WEBSTER COUNTY DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION BRIAN HITCHCOCK started in his role managing the Webster County Telecommunications Center in June 2022.

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