JCH&L Women’s Health Day Scheduled for Nov. 29, Dec. 21

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Wellness Experience Offers Women a Convenient Way to Take Control of Their Health

In just about three hours women from Jefferson County and beyond can complete their annual health checks and receive a well-deserved indulgence at the same time. Women’s Health Day is a complete wellness experience designed to make women’s health easy. Jefferson Community Health & Life is now scheduling for the experience on Tuesday, Nov. 29, and Wednesday, Dec. 21.

The program is available at the Jefferson Community Health & Life Health Center and Fairbury Clinic on select days every month, and includes:

* Personalized guidance from an on-site Women’s Health Day navigator

* Important health screenings, including fasting lab tests, a screening mammogram and a routine annual exam to assess overall and gynecological health (lab test and mammogram results will be available before participants leave for the day, while Pap test results will be provided later by mail)

* Complimentary breakfast and a relaxing indulgence—such as an express manicure or hand massage, for example. Offerings may vary.

* Reserved parking

“It’s so important for women to make time for their own health, but we know life sometimes gets in the way,” said Erin Starr, Chief Nursing Officer. “That’s why we created Women’s Health Day—to provide a convenient way for women to get their essential health screenings all at once, while also taking time to unwind.”

All major insurance plans are accepted for screening and exams (coverage is subject to individual policy terms). JCH&L Fairbury Clinic accepts new patients.

Appointments for the Women’s Health Day experience start as early as 6:30 a.m. To schedule, call 402.729.6841.

Caregivers Support Group to Meet Dec. 8

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The Caregivers Support Group offered by the Alzheimer’s Association will meet on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. in the Jefferson Community Health & Life Clinic Conference Room.

The program will be a video “Navigating Hallucinations and Delusions” by HomeInstead.

Easiest access will be by parking in the H Street parking and entering through the JCH&L Main Entrance. Follow the signage to “Caregiver’s Support.”

The Caregiver’s Support Group is a program of the Alzheimer’s Association which started again in November after a break because of COVID. The group now typically meets on the second Thursday of each month in the JCH&L Clinic Conference Room. In December we will meet at 4 p.m.

The support group is designed for those who are caregivers and family members of those who have Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias.  The group provide an opportunity anyone interested to share their experiences with Alzheimer’s Disease and learn from other’s experiences. There is no cost, and no pre-registration required.

For more information, contact Lana Likens at Jefferson Community Health & Life at 402-729-6855.

JCH&L Among Top 10 Nebraska Hospitals For Rural Provider Excellence in Quality

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Jefferson Community Health & Life was named among the Top 10 Nebraska hospitals for Rural Provider Excellence in Quality by the Chartis Center for Rural Health and the Nebraska Department of Health. Presented at this year’s Nebraska Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics Conference on Quality, the Rural Provider Excellence in Quality Award honors Top 10 overall performance in quality among the state’s Critical Access Hospitals.

“Quality is of utmost importance to all of us at Jefferson Community Health and Life,” said Burke Kline, DHA, CHFP, FACHE, JCH&L CEO. “We are pleased to be honored among the top rural health facilities in Nebraska for our quality.”

This is the fifth year JCH&L has received the recognition since it began in 2018.

The Rural Provider Excellence in Quality Award utilizes the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s Hospital Strength INDEX® framework to analyze Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) measures for all Critical Access Hospitals in Nebraska. The analysis percentile-ranks performance for each facility across 22 equally weighted, core MBQIP metrics. Hospitals with the 10 highest scores are recognized with the Rural Provider Excellence in Quality Award.

“Each year, Critical Access Hospitals in Nebraska are among the nation’s top performers across multiple facets of the INDEX,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to partner with the Nebraska Department of Health on this unique program and recognize outstanding performance in quality among the state’s Critical Access Hospitals.”

A subsidiary of The Chartis Group, iVantage Health Analytics (iVantage) is a leading provider of healthcare analytic and performance management analytic tools. Health system and hospital leadership teams across the country rely on the company’s software and services to deliver customized insights on clinical and financial performance, strategic planning, market assessment and payment optimization. iVantage’s analytics are the basis of continuing thought leadership and insight in the areas of healthcare policy and research.

The Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project is a quality improvement activity under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) grant program of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health policy. The goal is to improve the quality of care in Critical Access Hospitals by increasing quality data reporting and driving quality improvement activities based on the data.

National Rural Health Day Celebrates the Power of Rural

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JCH&L Fairbury Clinic to Offer Free Blood Pressure Screening

FAIRBURY – Jefferson Community Health & Life celebrates the Power of Rural on National Rural Health Day on Thursday, Nov. 17.  In honor of the importance of rural health, JCH&L Fairbury Clinic will offer free blood pressure screening at the Fairbury Clinic from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17.

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health sets aside the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day.

National Rural Health Day is an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural” by honoring the selfless, community-minded, “can do” spirit of that prevails in rural America. But it also provides an opportunity to bring to light the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face – and showcase the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health and other rural stakeholders to address those challenges.

Jefferson Community Health & Life is one of more than 1,360 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States, and 63 Critical Access Hospitals in the state of Nebraska. The Critical Access Hospital designation is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities. Critical Access Hospitals receive cost-based Medicare reimbursement. Jefferson Community Health Center became a Critical Access Hospital in 2000.

“Being a Critical Access Hospital does not limit us in the services we can provide for our area residents. It helps us to offer services which might be less affordable because of fewer patients needing the services,” said JCH&L CEO Burke Kline, MHA, DHA, CHFP, FACHE.

Jefferson Community Health & Life Fairbury Clinic is one of 134 Rural Health Clinics in the state and 4,413 in the United States.

The Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program is intended to increase access to primary care services for patients in rural communities. They are required to use a team approach of physicians working with non-physician providers such as nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) to provide services.

Health care organizations are important for rural communities – not only for accessibility and availability of health care, but also for economic development. Jefferson Community Health & Life is one of many health care providers in Jefferson County, and is the largest health care employer, with more than 250 staff members. JCH&L is consistently one of the top three employers in Jefferson County. Each year JCH&L pays its staff more than $11 million in salary and provides more than $2 million in benefits.

“The jobs at JCH&L require a wide variety of skills, training and education,” Dr. Kline said. “We employ high school students who are just getting started with part-time jobs and on-the-job training, all the way through the spectrum of educational levels to those with advanced medical degrees.”

JCH&L’s primary service area is Jefferson County, with 7,176, residents as of 2021. Some patients also come from surrounding counties in Nebraska and Kansas.

Rural communities also have unique healthcare needs. Rural communities must address accessibility, provider shortages, the needs of an aging population, increasing chronic conditions, and largest percentages of uninsured and underinsured citizens, says the National Rural Health Association.

Jefferson Community Health & Life operates a 17-bed, acute-care Critical Access Hospital in Fairbury, Neb., offering inpatient and outpatient services, including surgery, therapy, screenings, and 24-hour emergency services. Jefferson Community Health & Life offers additional health and life services, including Fairbury Clinic (primary and family care), Burkley Fitness Center, Gardenside (long-term care), and Home Health services. In addition, Jefferson Community Health & Life supports numerous education programs and support groups. JCH&L has offered services to residents of Jefferson County and the surrounding area since 1963, and continues to grow and change as the area’s needs change.

“We strive to fulfil our vision of being a trusted partner for a lifetime of health,” Dr. Kline said. “While JCHL can’t offer every healthcare service needed by our area residents, we are proud to offer a great many services which give area residents the opportunity to receive quality healthcare in a convenient location with professional and compassionate staff. Our area residents have much to celebrate on National Rural Health Day.”

New Therapists Join JCH&L Sports Medicine and Rehab Services

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Landon Zarybnicky, physical therapist, and Sarah Meyer, speech therapist, Join Team

Two new therapists have joined JCH&L Sports Medicine and Rehab Services recently. Landon Zarybnicky, PT, DPT, joined the staff in August. Sarah Meyer, MS, CCC-SLP, joined the staff in June.

Landon Zarybnicky, Physical Therapist

Zarybnicky grew up in the Odell and Beatrice areas, and now lives in Beatrice. He played college basketball at Doane University, and graduated from Doane with a bachelor of arts in exercise science. While there he talked to athletic trainers and got involved in training.  He graduated from

Rockhurst University in Kansas City with his doctorate in physical therapy.

He said his interest in therapy goes back to high school when physical therapy came up in a career survey.

“I just like helping people reach their own goals, and improve their quality of life,” Zarybnicky said.

He offers the full gamut of physical therapy. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.

He is in a serious relationship with Katie Meyer, who teaches sociology at Southeast Community College. Outside of work he enjoys recreational sports such as basketball and sand volleyball; spending time outdoors, especially at lakes; and spending time with friends and family.

 Sarah Meyer, speech therapist

Sarah Meyer grew up in Diller. She got her bachelor of science degree in education – speech-language pathology from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, then got her Master’s degree there in speech language pathology.

She said that in high school she liked English, but was also interested in the medical field. She realized speech language pathology might be a good fit for her, since she could actually work in medical and educational settings.

After graduating she worked two years in school settings in Kansas, one preschool and one elementary school.

She found JCH&L “a great opportunity to give back to all ages in the community,” she said.

She said going from a school setting to providing pediatric and adult speech therapy in a hospital setting was a big change, but she has appreciated being part of a supportive team. The pediatric therapy specialty area was added at JCH&L in 2020, and is growing. She said it has a wonderful new space in the new clinic area which is ser

ving patients well. She also has a space in the area to work with adult speech patients.

Meyer has a specialty certificate to provide VitalStim therapy as an additional treatment option for adults with swallowing disorders.

She and her husband, Shane Meyer, Jr., live near Diller. They have a dog, Millie. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with family, cooking and reading.

Mau Earns Certified Rural Health Professional

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Jenn Mau, RN, MSN, has earned the Certified Rural Health Professional credential. Mau, who serves as JCH&L Fairbury Clinic Nurse Manager, has been with JCH&L since 2004.

To attain certification as a Rural Health Professional she successfully completed the Certified Rural Health Clinic Professional Course and passed an exam. The course is designed to help clinic administrators learn to operate a successful Rural Health Clinic.

In March, Mau graduated from the Nebraska Hospital Association QI Residency Program.

She continues to serve as Clinical Care Coordinator, working with teams of providers to coordinate services and help patients deal with chronic conditions.

Mau has been with Jefferson Community Health & Life since 2004. She has worked as a nurse aide, a licensed practical nurse, and an RN.  She received her Masters of Science in Nursing Administration and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Nebraska Wesleyan University; her Associate Degree in Nursing from Cloud County Community College, Concordia, Kan.; and her practical nursing diploma from Southeast Community College Beatrice.

Starr Earns Degree

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FAIRBURY – Erin Starr RN, chief nursing officer and chief quality officer at Jefferson Community Health & Life in Fairbury, has earned her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Bellevue University.

Starr has been with Jefferson Community Health & Life since 2003. She began as an RN in acute care, and began working in patient safety and risk management in 2007. She was promoted to Chief Quality Officer in 2010, and Chief Nursing Officer in 2019. She supervises the areas of acute nursing, surgery, employee safety, infection prevention, therapy and rehab services, laboratory, radiology, EMR specialist, home health, risk management, and pharmacy.

She became a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) in 2016.

She is a member of the Nebraska Association of Healthcare Quality Risk and Safety, the National Association of Healthcare Quality.

Starr has two children, Samantha and Ben.

Big Blue Test Coming to Burkley Fitness Center

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Learn how exercise affects your blood sugar

FAIRBURY – How does exercise affect your blood sugar? Find out on Nov. 15 with the Big Blue Test at Jefferson Community Health & Life Burkley Fitness Center.

JCH&L Diabetes Educator Bekah Kimberlin, PharmD, will be at the fitness center on Nov. 15 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. to take blood sugars pre- and post-exercise. Between blood sugar checks, participants are encouraged to exercise for 14-30 minutes, doing the workout of their choice, or a suggested workout.

“Exercise is the least expensive medication for diabetes prevention and control. This is an opportunity to see how exercise affects your blood sugar – with no cost and no obligation,” said Kimberlin.

It is not necessary to be a fitness center member to participate – just check in with the front desk when you arrive and tell them you would like a complimentary pass to participate in the Big Blue Test.

Diabetes risk tests are available all month at JCH&L Burkley Fitness Center.

“Knowing your risk for diabetes is so important. We want those who are at risk to know there are ways to prevent the progression to diabetes,” Kimberlin said.

November is National Diabetes Month, and it’s a great time to learn more about diabetes. JCH&L offers diabetes self-management classes for those who have been diagnosed with diabetes, and Smart Moves lifestyle change program for those who have pre-diabetes or are at risk for pre-diabetes. For more information, contact Kimberlin at 402-587-5186.

Kline Earns ACHE Service Award

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Jefferson Community Health & Life CEO Burke Kline, DHA, MHA, CHFP, FACHE, was awarded the America College of Healthcare Executives Service award at the annual meeting held in LaVista on Thursday, Oct. 20.
ACHE held its annual meeting during the Nebraska Hospital Association convention. ACHE is dedicated to advancing healthcare management excellence. The American College of Healthcare Executives Recognition Program was implemented in appreciation of the extensive volunteer involvement of members. It celebrates members’ commitment to the healthcare management profession. Recognition is bestowed at three levels, based on a range of volunteer activities that demonstrate leadership and contributions to furthering professional excellence.
Dr. Kline serves on the board of directors for the American College of Healthcare Executives Nebraska and Western Iowa Chapter. His three-year term began in January. He is a member of the membership committee of the Nebraska and Western Iowa Chapter, as well. He is also serving a three-year term on the Editorial Board for the national association. He has also served as co-chairman of the mentorship committee and has served as a mentor through ACHE’s program.

Holiday Grief Support Group Planned by Cottonwood Hospice

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Cottonwood Hospice will hold a Holiday Grief Support Group Oct. 18-Dec. 27 at JCH&L Fairbury Clinic Conference room, 2200 H St.

Sessions will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. every other Tuesday starting Oct. 18. Sessions are set for Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Dec. 13 and Dec. 27.

There is no cost, and the sessions are open to anyone who has lost a loved one in the past year.

Pre-registration is requested for planning purposes. Please call Cottonwood Hospice at 402-228-8501.

2200 H St., PO Box 277, Fairbury, NE