Last public informational meeting scheduled for October 9 to discuss new Postville Clinic
One more public informational meeting remains for anyone to attend to learn more about the Veterans Memorial Hospital and Clinics renovation of the new Postville Medical Clinic. The meeting will be held Thursday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Northeast Iowa Wellness and Recreation Center in Postville.
The current Postville Medical Clinic is located at 124 W. Greene Street. The proposed new location is right next door, to the west, at the former Upper Explorerland Building. The new project will have an additional three exam rooms for a total of five, plus a new procedure room and lab area. There will also be a new behavioral health clinic area for private consultations in a more comfortable, confidential atmosphere.
“Patients deserve privacy in their medical setting and we want to give that to them. Our current clinic spaces do not have a quality sound barrier between rooms and our exam rooms are very small. It’s very difficult for people with walkers or wheelchairs or any kind of mobility issues to move around in those rooms,” shares Katy Maker, Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner at the Postville Clinic. “The staff desk is very small to do any paperwork and when translation services are needed the speakers are at the computer for little confidentiality. I think it is important for the community to feel comfortable when they come into the clinic and feel that their medical needs are confidential.”
Maker also adds, “I am so excited to have the larger space, especially since we have new staff joining the clinic! Postville is a community of families and we need rooms large enough to accommodate an entire family when they want to stay together. Plus we need space that has ADA bathrooms which we do not have right now. These changes will offer a better patient experience.”
The current providers at the Postville Medical Clinic will remain, but with this additional space, two additional family practitioners and one Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse practitioner will be added to the care team, so many days two providers will be available, instead of just one. This will allow for walk-in patients once again, plus expand the clinic hours, opening earlier in the morning and remaining open all day without closing for lunch.
“I like working for the Veterans Memorial Hospital Postville Clinic because I grew up in Postville and having a clinic close to home is especially important. Now that I am a certified medical translator and can interpret for our patients, we can connect with them so much more than an online translator or over the phone,” explains Sandy Lopez, Medical Assistant and Medical Translator. “We definitely need more space for this clinic. We keep bringing in new patients every week and often our three rooms are full so they have to wait. Appointments take longer than they should so with more rooms, it would give us more opportunity to see more patients. We also can’t really take walk-ins because our rooms are full, but with more space we could. I hope that we can get funding. It is a great experience working for the VMH Postville Clinic. All of the staff is very supportive and willing to go out of their way to be sure new employees are learning what they are supposed to and if there are any questions, they are sure to answer them.”
Fundraising is currently underway for the new facility, plus they are searching for grants for the remaining balance of the project. The hospital has already committed $480,000 toward the total project cost of $779,000, demonstrating strong institutional support and investment in the success of this expansion.
Anyone is welcome to attend the final community meeting October 9 to learn more about the need for the Postville Medical Clinic expansion. For more information, call Beth Shafer, Growth and Development Coordinator at Veterans Memorial Hospital, at 563-568-3411.
