campinh news

SIOUX CENTER � Tysa Lloyd was steered into her life�s work as a dental assistant through a career placement quiz taken during high school. Lloyd, who has five years of experience working as a dental assistant, started in that role at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center last week. Tysa Lloyd assumed her role as a dental assistant at Promise Community Health Center last week. She discovered her interest in the vocation after taking a career placement quiz in high school. �I never thought about doing that, but that popping up on the quiz really interested me in looking more into it, and I found it to be a good match,� she said. �It helps people, and that�s something that I always wanted to do.� Lloyd grew up in Sheldon and graduated from Sheldon High School in 2009. She took general classes for a year at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City before earning her dental assistant certification while working 2011-13 at Siouxland Dental Health in Sioux City. She then s...

SIOUX CENTER � Alejandra Due�as always found the receptionists at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center to be �really nice and willing to help� when she came in as a patient. Therefore, she�s glad to now have the opportunity to fill that role. Alejandra  Due�as looks forward to helping people in her new role as a receptionist at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. Alejandra began serving as a new receptionist at Promise last week. �I�ve always been the type of person that likes to help out when I can, so I think this position will be a great opportunity to do that,� she said. Alejandra was born in Chico, CA, but lived most of her life in Hull. She graduated from Boyden-Hull High School in 2012. Before starting at Promise, she worked previously at Natural Food Holdings in Sioux Center and Dakota Treats in Hawarden. She is excited to be part of a �great organization.� �I think Promise is a great organization because they provide a lot of resources and opportu...

Rebecca Hooyer, dental hygienist for Promise Community Health Center, cautions people who work outside about the danger of skin cancer on the lip. She recommends the use SPF chapstick. by Rebecca Hooyer, dental hygienist Summer is a busy time for our farmers and anyone who works outside. How many, though, are using Sun Protection Factor (SPF) chapstick? I can think of very few men. However, using SPF chapstick can help prevent a dangerous, rarely talked about problem: skin cancer. To be more specific, skin cancer on the lip. The bottom lip is exposed to more sun than the top lip and can be a site for either basal cell carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas. It is more likely to appear in fair-skinned men over 50 years old who spend a lot of time outdoors. It is quite treatable if caught early. One should look for sores in or around the mouth, especially on the bottom lip, that do not heal within a couple weeks. The earlier it is caught, the better. There is a greater risk for people wh...

SIOUX CENTER � Bert Van Batavia loves riding open country roads or trails on his bicycle. The 72-year-old man who farms between Hull and Boyden logs 50-60 miles in a typical week during the bicycling season. Bert Van Batavia, 72, who farms between Hull and Boyden, plans to ride again in Promise Community Health Center's Wellness on Wheels Bicycle Ride on Saturday, June 4. He has ridden almost every year of the six-year event. He said you can see � and smell � so much more from a bicycle. He loves seeing the straight rows of corn, even the crooked ones. He enjoys the view of farm buildings and the scenery of rivers and rolling hills. He doesn�t even mind the wafting smell of a hog barn or cattleyard every once in awhile � this is Iowa, after all. And it�s a perfect time for him to reflect. �My thoughts are all to myself. I can almost even decide whom to vote for in the next election,� Van Batavia said with a chuckle. �That�s what I like.� He also rides bicycle for the cardiovascular...

SIOUX CENTER � Serving on the Promise Community Health Center Board of Directors wasn�t even on Lynn Rietema�s radar when she was approached by executive director Nancy Dykstra earlier this year about considering the role. In fact, when she saw that call come in from Promise, she thought it was a outreach staff member calling to ask if she could provide a patient a ride to the health center � as she often has done as a volunteer. But she decided to accept the invitation to serve in a new capacity as a board member. Lynn Rietema has begun serving on Promise Community Health Center's Board of Directors. She has a passion for helping people and reaching out to newcomers in the community. �To be quite truthful, sometimes I don�t have words to explain why I�m on this path,� Rietema said. �I�ve been walking through doors that have opened for me in the last few years on pure faith � basically following my heart, which sounds crazy and not very logical, but it is what it is. I think with ...

SIOUX CENTER � Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center will get a new dental chair and associated equipment, thanks to a Sioux County Community Foundation grant. The foundation awarded the health center a $10,000 grant during an awards ceremony today (Monday, May 16) in Orange City. Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma, dentist and dental director for Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center, will receive a new dental chair to serve patients due to a $10,000 grant from the Sioux County Community Foundation. The grant will go toward the cost of purchasing a dental chair system for one of Promise�s three oral health exam rooms. The grant will fund about 55 percent of the cost. Promise will provide the remaining matching funds. �We are so thankful for the Sioux County Community Foundation�s support,� said Derrick Vander Waal, public relations and development coordinator for Promise. �Promise�s dental program fills a crucial need in the community. It serves the most vulnerable populations ...

SIOUX CENTER � Nurses positively impact the lives of patients every day with care and compassion. That's why the National Nurses Week theme for 2016 is so fitting: "Culture of Safety � It Starts With You." National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6-12 every year, ending with Florence Nightingale's birthday. Personnel related to the profession at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center include registered nurses, advanced registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and medical assistants. Promise Community Health Center's nurses, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and medical assistants include  (front, from left) Ruth Hernandez, Sandra Rodriguez, Beth Strub; (middle) Pam Hulstein, Kristen Schuler, Kari Ney, Nancy Dykstra, Alex Van Beek, Karen Sanchez; (back) Erica Robertson, Vicki Schrock, Tana Kass, Emily Tuschen and Kim Davelaar. Not pictured are Belinda Lassen and Daisy Gasca. Here are reflections from a few of them about what makes their...