Grundy County Memorial Hospital | Live Well | Winter 2022

2 >> health NEWS Walk-in mental health clinic opens in Waterloo It’s a well-known fact: Good health goes beyond physical wellness. It’s also about how well you’re doing emotion- ally. As part of its commitment to mental health as well as physical health, UnityPoint Health has opened a walk-in mental health clinic at UnityPoint Health–Allen Hospital. The clinic represents another way that UnityPoint Health is expanding access to mental health services and will primarily serve patients with acute mental health needs. To expand the Cedar Valley’s access to mental health services, the clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and will offer counseling sessions on a walk-in basis—no appointment necessary. Licensed behavioral health professionals on staff will aim to address any immediate concerns and then evaluate follow-up options. These may include long-term counseling at area outpatient facilities, connection to other community resources or admission to inpatient psychiatric care. “Many people in our community don’t seek mental health services because it may be difficult or inconve- nient to schedule a timely appointment,” says Amanda Schara, Director of Behavioral Health Services. “This clinic will fill an immediate need and offer a new way to find help for anyone experiencing a mental health issue.” The clinic will serve individuals 18 years of age or older. People are advised to go to the closest Emergency Department if they need immediate medical attention, are a danger to themselves or others, demonstrate ag- gressive behavior or are experiencing a crisis when the walk-in clinic is closed. The new mental health walk-in clinic is located at UnityPoint Health–Allen Hospital, 1825 Logan Ave., in Waterloo. Use entrance 6B to locate the clinic. Heads up! See what’s new with our surveys Grundy County Memorial Hospital has been sending follow-up surveys to those of you who’ve used our health care services for almost 15 years. With the start of 2022, those surveys look a little different. The hospital’s Patient Experience Manager, Jessica Eilers, RN, BSN, CNOR, has a heads-up on the changes: Q What does the new survey format look like? A : An email with a link to a brief survey will be sent within a day of your health care service or appointment. If no response is received, a text message will be sent, also with a secure link to a brief survey. Patients who have been hospitalized will continue to receive a paper survey through the U.S. mail. Q What does the hospital do with the survey information? A : We rely on national survey partner NRC, which pro- vides this important patient feedback service throughout UnityPoint Health, to compile the survey information. Col- lecting feedback from people soon after their health care experience allows us to learn what went well or correct what did not meet expectations. One of the advantages in switching to our new survey partner is that we’ll receive the survey results much faster, and our department leaders will be able to respond to concerns more quickly. Survey results and trends are evaluated regularly by our patient experience team and department leaders. Q Will it take long to complete a survey? A : The new survey is shorter than the former version and provides a way to give personalized feedback. We are anticipating that more patients will complete the survey because it takes less time and is easily acces- sible via mobile device or computer. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey when it is emailed or texted to you after your hospital visit. >>