The Sioux City Police Department Citizen Police Academy has been part of the department since 1995 with the 44th class graduating earlier this month after 11 weeks of training. This fall, Siouxland News Anchor Katie Copple went through the citizen academy to learn a little more about the work our brothers and sisters in uniform do. The academy is held each fall, and after a pause for COVID-19, the 44th academy class met in August for the first of 11 weeks of hands-on training. "It was very eye-opening to learn all the process they had to go through and we only got a glimpse of it." Kristen Sweeney is one of roughly two dozen Siouxlanders who took part. "It was just so exciting to go through some of the steps they went through in the training and it just really opened my eyes to the whole process together." Each week brings a different lesson.. sometimes multiple in a night. We drove police cars through an obstacle course. Officers took us through firearm training giving us a chance to fire several different weapons. The Department's SWAT team suited up for a breaching drill at the training facility. They even showed us some of the equipment they have on hand for any scenario they may face. And yes, we had the chance to try it all ourselves. Department veterans teach specialized classes. Each one is tailored to give a first-hand look at how the men and women in uniform keep the community safe. Trust is everything. "In any relationship, the foundation is going to be trust and we have to have trust amongst each other of course, but if the police can't do the job of the public, it's the foundation of that relationship. The foundation of being able to operate in our society together. So we can't do without the citizens and the citizens from time to time need us and we need them and it's just a reciprocal relationship." Lieutenant Ryan Bertrand led several courses throughout the academy. He and the other department leaders put us through scenarios officers could face showing how even a call that may seem minor can turn in an instant, making you think on your feet, trust your training and your gut. "When we do the scenarios where we give a person like a fake gun that makes noise and we give them a scenario that they've never encountered before, it's so awesome to see like the genuine reactions to "how I would handle this" and sometimes it's over the top sometimes they don't do anything and sometimes they do way too much," Lt. Bertrand said. "But it's, either way, we all learn from it. That's the exact same process the police go through." When we first gathered in August we were all strangers, but at graduation in November we left as friends with a new understanding of law enforcement. "I think learning a lot about everything Police Department does I think we don't think about all the processes they go through and all the extra programs they do to help the community," said Sweeney. "So it really opened my eyes and realize that there's a lot that we can also volunteer to help it really out." On the last week of class, I along with 5 others volunteered to be tased. You can see a video of that here! The citizen police academy is a truly eye-opening experience and gave this journalist a new respect for our brothers and sisters in blue. The Sioux City Police Department holds the academy each fall. Watch their Facebook page for when registration opens. SEE THE VIDEO
0 Comments
You've heard their voices on the local air waves for years and now two radio personalities are being inducted into the "Midwest All Music Association Hall of Fame." He's a big voice on the local airwaves playing the country hits we know and love, and now Y Country 101.3's Cowboy Bob will be the newest member of the Midwest All Music Association Hall of Fame. "I never thought something like this was going to happen. I really didn't. And I'm really tickled that it's happening," Cowboy Bob Rounds said before his regular morning show on Y Country. The Midwest All Music Association, or MAMA, began just a few years ago honoring those making an impact across all musical genres. "I'm so excited that my broadcasting compadres Cowboy Bob could be put into this category because there's a guy that deserves it," Another big voice just down the hall from Y Country is Big Daddy on Classic Rock 99.5. "Sioux City is so rich in music history and all types of musical formats. It's a pleasure to live in this area," Denny "Big Daddy" Anderson said as he let us into the Classic Rock studio during his popular morning show Thursday. Big Daddy was inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. He is also being inducted into the Midwest All Music Association Hall of Fame on Saturday. There are a lot of talented and longtime personalities on the air at Powell Broadcasting, the parent company for Y Country, Classic Rock 99.5 and several other stations, but General Manager Denny Bullock says it best. "Cowboy Bob is 101.3. Big Daddy is 99.5," Bullock said, "when we can be live and local in the in the community. That's what it's all about this is reflective of that." "I think that every day that I come to work, I build a new memory and that kind of stuff," Cowboy Bob said, "there's no looking back at some real big monumental deal. It's just every day, you get to meet the people." For Cowboy Bob, it's about the people he has met throughout his time on the air waves. "They'll come out to see us at a remote. No say, Oh, it was really neat to put a face to the voice. And I'll say Well, it's nice to meet you," he said. "I do really like meeting the people around what we call Y Country, the Siouxland area. So just every day is kind of a great memory." The Midwest All Music Association Hall of Fame induction will take place Saturday night at the Avalon Ballroom in Remsen, Iowa. Tickets are $20 at the door with proceeds staying here in Siouxland to help grow local music education. SEE THE VIDEO The month of September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month but for families with a little one battling cancer, their fight isn't just for four weeks, but years. "I ask people to take a second and just think about what it would be like to be sitting in an oncologist's office with your spouse waiting for a diagnosis, but that diagnosis isn't for you. It's for your four-year-old child," said Kay Koehler, President and CEO of CureSearch, a national organization with a mission to find a cure for childhood cancer. While childhood cancer is rare, it is a harsh reality for many parents, including a Sgt. Bluff family whose young daughter is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. "There are so many things that come with getting a diagnosis that your child has cancer," said Erin Edlund. We met the Edlund family, including their youngest Lolo who is in the midst of her cancer treatment, in the summer of 2021. Lolo's cancer journey brought her to Omaha's Children's Hospital, one of the few medical centers in the region that specializes in treating childhood cancer and other illnesses. " When a child is impacted by cancer, that impacts the next the 70-80-90 years of their life," said Dr. Acquazzino. "There's just so much potential." Dr. Melissa Acquazzino and Dr. Jill Beck are two of the leading oncologists at Children's Hospital and have seen firsthand how current cancer treatments can ravage a young child's body. Learn more about Children's Hospital of Omaha here. "Oftentimes cancer in childhood is very aggressive and we use very intensive treatments to get them into remission and cure," said Dr. Aquazzino. PART 1: Meet a Sgt. Bluff Family in the middle of the cancer fight, and some of the doctors who are on the leading edge of new treatments. While treatments are advancing, those advancements are not happening fast enough. "We have made strides in terms of treatment and successes in curing," said Dr. Beck, "but it is still the highest cause of death by disease in children." "Most people think about cancer research as cancer research and that adult cancer, probably those drugs are just applied to children and it doesn't work that way for many reasons," said Koehler. "(We focus) on driving new drug development for kids with cancer and we want those therapies to be less toxic than the current standard of treatment." Childhood Cancer is different from adult diagnosis because children's bodies are still growing. While childhood cancer is considered rare, the treatments made specifically for their little bodies are even more so. "You put chemotherapy treatment into a body that's four years old and growing," said Edlund, "that's a pretty terrifying prospect that you don't know what really effect that's going to have and for every kid, it's going to be different because we all grow at different rates." "If your six-month-old is diagnosed with cancer, they can't take a pill," said Koehler. "How are you going to give them therapy, right? It's everything from the logistics to the treatments themselves." CureSearch brings new treatments into clinical trials, from lab development to treatment deployment. PART 2: Lack of funding stalls important advancements in treatment "I think one of the challenges is that the treatments that we're using are still old and they have a lot of side effects," said Dr. Beck. "I think we are behind, in terms of pediatric cancer the average is about six years after a medication or a treatment is introduced in adults. That it is then introduced in kids." Children's Hospital works with several clinical trials thanks to organizations like CureSearch and hospitals across the nation, with a shared goal of finding treatments, and a possible cure, for kids fighting these diseases. One of the biggest hurdles they face is finding the funding needed to get the research up and off the ground. "In pediatric cancer research, we receive a very small percentage of the money that's out there that goes towards cancer research," said Dr. Acquazzino. "The majority goes to the adult world." CureSearch is funded solely from donations and fundraisers and doesn't receive any federal assistance. Koehler says they are strict in where they put their resources. Each research study goes through a rigorous cycle before CureSearch puts funding behind it to get it to the clinical trial stage. They have a success rate of 60%. "It costs about $800 million I've been told to bring a drug to market," said Koehler, "so we are solely dependent on donors who are interested in making an impact with their investment in childhood cancer." Find out more about CureSearch here. For the team at Omaha Children's Hospital, finding the right treatment and even a cure isn't their only goal. "What we're really working to do is kind of all sides of it," said Dr. Beck. "So decrease trying to figure out why kids get cancer and decreasing that, and then also working on the other side to get better, more effective treatments that have fewer side effects so that these kids can grow up to be happy healthy adults." "Because pediatric cancer is rare, we band together and we work with the children's hospitals around the country to standardize how we treat kids with certain diagnoses," said Dr. Acquazzino, "and then to ask questions about how we can improve treatment both in terms of improving cure rates, but also in decreasing those long term late effects that we can see from our cancer treatment." CureSearch not only wants to find the cure for cancer and develop treatments that aren't going to cause these kids more health problems down the road, leaving parents constantly looking over their shoulders wondering when the next shoe will drop. "For us, it's about how do we move things along faster? How do we help children lead long and healthy lives when we're talking about an additional 60-70 years of life left for them?" said Koehler. 'We need to not just "cure" children and I use the word "cure" in quotes. We need to ensure that they don't have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their life wondering if they're going to have congestive heart failure at 23 years old. That's what we're focused on." Children's works to get their patients into the best clinical trials possible, but they also strive to make the journey through a cancer diagnosis and treatment as easy as possible for the child and their family. For families of kids diagnosed with cancer, that diagnosis impacts everyone in different ways, from the parents to their siblings. This is why, at Children's, they take a team approach to treatment. "I think one of the things with pediatric cancer, in general, is it really is a team sport and that that there is no one person in our group that can do this alone, other than the patient but that we're all here to support those kids," said Dr. Beck. Dr. Acquazzino agreed, "We have a really big team of people that think about our patients head to toe and how we can support not only them but their families." A cancer diagnosis can often be hardest on the parents, both mentally and emotionally, seeing their child go through tough treatments and long stays in the hospital. "I find that parents often don't know how to sort of trust their parenting anymore," said Dr. Beck, "not for any fault of their own. But because it's unexpected and it's rare and it's not on your radar until it's right there and happening to you." "When I think a lot of what parents tell me is the club that they never imagined that they want to be in and that they would prefer not to have been a member of." That club is the reality for far too many families and the news that your child has cancer is just the beginning of an incredibly long journey," which the Edlund's are right in the middle of. "While my daughter's hair is growing back and while we have gotten through probably the hardest part of her treatment, we are still in the midst of treatment," Edlund said. "Today is day 505 And we have 311 days to go. Her end date is August 6, 2023. We are not even close to being done with this journey. We will always live with the fear that she could face relapse. "We will always live with the fear that the treatment may have caused her to have other underlying health conditions. And that's an enormous burden as well." SEE THE VIDEO It's a beautiful piece of farmland in Woodbury County and sits along the Plymouth County line and like many Iowa farms, it's a family heirloom. "We love this farm. It's 151 acres. It has been in his family for many, many years. And our farm is five years shy of being a century farm." And now Vicki Hulse of Moville, Iowa is fighting to keep her and her husband's land out of the hands of a carbon capture pipeline. "We have worked hard to pay for our land," Hulse told me during an interview at the Siouxland News studios. "We bought the farm from his dad's estate, and he worked two jobs. I work two jobs to pay for this farm. And we have two children that we want to hand the farm down to. And I'm fighting against eminent domain for private gain." According to Cornell Law School, eminent domain refers to the power of the government to take private property and convert it into public use. Because of this, Heartland Greenway's Navigator CO2 pipeline has sent surveyors to each property where their pipeline will be. Hulse has twice refused to let them enter. "I did not sign the letter for the easement. I did not sign anything," she said. "I knew that I was going to fight this." This fight is personal for Hulse, not just because this pipeline would run through three of her four parcels of land, but because her husband William can't fight alongside her. "My husband is a Vietnam veteran. He was exposed to Agent Orange and he's in the Iowa veterans home in Marshalltown," she explained, "and I am his voice and I am doing exactly what I feel he would want me to do fighting for your land, fight for our land. He fought for our country and I am fighting for our land." And fighting she is. Hulse has twice denied surveyors access to her farmland. In response, Navigator is suing Hulse to gain access citing eminent domain. She has filed a countersuit seeking an injunction of her own. "They're a private company," she explained. "And so no private company should have the right to be able to claim eminent domain." The Hulse's farmland is also part of the state's Conservation Reserve Program and this pipeline she says would harm everything that makes it beautiful. "The farmland is in the (Conservation Reserve Program), It's got birds and butterflies and deer and wildlife. And that's just part of it, you know, part of its crops. But you go out there and you just see all the wildlife and we want to leave the land better than we got it," she said. "And so to see a pipeline come through would just be heartbreaking." And because of her husband's health, she's fighting alone. "I haven't even explained this to my husband. He has dementia," she said as she teared up. "I don't think he would even grasp any of this. And so I'm trying to make all these decisions." Her son and daughter are also fighting by her side as they will one day take over the farm. There are over 130 other landowners also fighting against the Navigator Pipeline, plus the two other proposed pipelines, Summit Carbon Solutions and Wolf Carbon Solutions, that would run through Iowa. But Hulse is one of the few taking legal action against them now. "Do you think there are any positives to this pipeline proposal? Big or small?" I asked her. "No, no, there's no nothing. I can't think of a thing," she said passionately, "Can you?" Hulse says this pipeline, should it go online, would impact not just the landowners whose property it runs through but the towns and communities nearby. "I just want to make people aware. There are so many people that I talked to that they say well, that CO2 in the air, you're breathing it, but no, it is not the CO2 that is in your diet coke. It's not the CO2 that's in the canisters," she said. "This is 2,000 pounds of pressure in an eight-inch pipe that is liquefied. And if there is a leak of the earth an explosion, it is so dangerous." She says this fight isn't just hers or even the landowners who have been targeted by Navigator and these other pipelines, but it's Iowa's fight. "I wish you knew that if you let this pipeline go through and let them claim eminent domain for private gain," she said. "That is just a stepping stone for the first company to do that. That it will far reach anything else to happen for any other company to keep doing this? On and on and on. I mean, where would it stop?" Hulse and the others who oppose the Navigator and the other two proposed CO2 pipelines have reached out to state leaders, going as far as marching in front of the Iowa Capitol building and sending meeting requests to Governor Reynolds with no response. She says getting more Iowans involved in the fight against these pipelines is key to stopping them, and getting involved is easy. "Do exactly what we're doing, become more aware. Just keep talking to your neighbors and fight the good fight." Because this land... is Iowa. "There's only so much land and that if you keep destroying the land, putting hazardous things in the land and putting these hazardous pipelines in, there's not going to be more land. This is it," she said. "We have to preserve our land."What would your husband say if he could fight this fight with you?" I asked. "He would be... He would be more vocal than I would be. He would be knocking on doors. He would be calling his legislators," she said of her husband. "And he had a big voice." And now Vicki is that voice. For her husband and so many others in this fight against the pipelines. SEE THE VIDEO You can get a glimpse of their life on the hit TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Chicago Med or ER, but being a trauma nurse in a real-life emergency room can be a challenging, rewarding and exhilarating career path. "It's not all fun and glory. There are sad days too," said Lea Mathison, who is the Trauma Program Manager at MercyOne Siouxland. "But though you think about the days that you really made an impression and how you really make a difference and that's just what being a nurse is all about. And an ER trauma really encompasses all of that." Inside the emergency room at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, you'll find a Level Two Trauma Center, the 2nd highest certification a hospital can achieve for trauma response. "We have a trauma surgeon on call 24/7, neurosurgeons, a certain level of radiology and imaging, OR, anesthesia, neurology, all that kind of stuff to have that response," said nurse Barbara Fitzgerald. "What the research has shown is that if you go to where that specialty is you have a better outcome." Barbara Fitzgerald and Lea Mathison are two of the leading trauma nurses at MercyOne. They are part of a dedicated team that helps anyone who comes into the emergency room. "And the ER, you know that it could be they checked in for a stubbed toe or they come in carrying their own leg like you had no idea what's gonna come in and you're just, you're just ready for anything," said Mathison. "You're just always on edge. You're always excited. you're always thinking that what am I going to do to be able to help these people." For many trauma nurses, they thrive on the chaos and the unknown that each day and each patient can bring. "Here, we have no set routines," said Fitzgerald. "It's whatever walks in that door and it can be anything from the most minor injury to the most major, to very life-threatening and being able to take that and do a huge trauma where everything is just crazy and chaotic. And then turn around and go back in and do something much more simple like laceration and still kind of get that same. Like, let's go let's get it done. Let's get them taken care of," she continued. "But not only am I the right-hand person of the trauma surgery, ER doctor, but I do everything to help stabilize that patient, said Mathison. "And that just brings home to me of the success stories that I could bring. I contributed to that. I really made a difference in those patients' lives." And both Mathison and Fitzgerald have had patients and families return to thank them for helping them through their toughest days. "I had somebody come back and thanked me for saving her life and thanking me for saving her dad's life even though her mom had passed away," said Mathison, "it was a very tragic moment, but it's very heartwarming at the fact that I was able to be there for her hardest time." There are even moments when these nurses see their own loved ones brought through the ER doors. "Three years after I started here, my dad came in as a code red," said Fitzgerald. "He was flown in by helicopter. I tell you what, the ER nurses are amazing that they can turn around and you know, this person is going get taken care of to the best of their ability, they're getting the best treatment." For those of us who don't work in an ER, what goes on inside may look unorganized and disordered, but it is actually a well-oiled machine where nurses and the rest of the team know what it takes to give their patients the best chance at going home beginning the moment they come through the emergency room doors. "I think the biggest thing is that you've got to have that just that personality that kind of thrives on chaos and is able to roll with it and just kind of say, you know, 'this is me, we're doing it. I want something exciting," Fitzgerald said of the nurses who work on the ER floor. "If there's a chance and we can change it, we will," said Fitzgerald, "and that's what makes any ER nurse, that's what makes me want to be an ER nurse is being able to say, hey, we really made a difference this time." These nurses work at the top of their skillset doing everything from vital checks to chest tubes and prioritizing patients' emergent medical needs. "The ER is meant to be the safety net for society. If you don't know where to go, they come here," said Fitzgerald, "and that's what makes unfortunately sometimes your wait here longer or your run through here much longer." "That's really what an ER nurse is," said Mathison, "is that somebody that's going to make a difference and think, think on your toes and just the critical thinking skills and the anticipation of what that physician is going to need and that's really what we do." Because for the MercyOne trauma team, coming to work and owning up, means making a difference is saving lives each and every day. "You don't know what you're walking into but you know that it's gonna be something new every day," said Fitzgerald. "We are life savers. We are incredible life-saving bodies and it's not just myself," said Mathison. "All of my nurses that are trauma nurses, they are phenomenal and they're lifesavers and they do wonderful things." SEE THE VIDEO LE MARS, Iowa — "My mom and dad were standing outside on the porch by the landlord was down in the basement when the explosion happened." It's been nearly two weeks since a Le Mars family lost everything when the home they were renting exploded, sending them to the hospital. Now, their family is helping them rebuild with some help from Siouxland. "My parents moved to this house about a month ago and like the last week, they were dealing with this awful smell which they thought was the sewer. It started out being sewer and it just progressively got worse and worse," Megan Dimmick's parents, Jeff and Laura, survived the unthinkable. A natural gas leak caused the home they were renting to explode. The house they were renting in Le Mars exploded on July 13th after the landlord attempted to relight the pilot light in the basement. All three were injured but survived. The Dimmicks lost everything. "I found out that Jeff and Laura were involved in this accident and so immediately I knew that I wanted to do something," said Tia Hoogland, "but what do you do when when somebody loses absolutely everything." Tia has been a longtime friend of the family. She contacted Megan about starting a GoFundMe for Jeff and Laura. They have a goal of raising $10,000 to help them get back on their feet. FIND THE GOFUNDME PAGE HERE "They would give the shirt off their back to absolutely anybody. They love my son like their own grandson," Tia said about Jeff and Laura. "And I think that speaks volumes to the type of people that they are and I know if anybody else was in this situation that they would be the very first people out there helping." There is a pile of rubble where their house and another destroyed in the explosion once stood. and the Dimmicks are healing a little more each day. They're both stable," Megan said of her parents. "They're both out of the hospital. My dad is doing really good with the burns. My mom will be going in for surgery. For a broken clavicle. But you know, we're each day is a new day and we're getting better." Thankful for the community rallying behind them during this unimaginable time. "We just want to thank everybody who has already donated for Jeff and Laura," Tia said. "It doesn't go unnoticed and aside from, you know, the food, the clothing. They're going to need medical expenses and just finding another home. All those things go into what's being donated to the GoFundMe." "They're having a hard time accepting all the donations and the love and support that they're getting," Megan said, "because they're not the ones to ask but they're very overwhelmed and very appreciated." Megan, Tia, and the Dimmick family say they are so grateful to the Siouxland community for rallying behind them during this time of need. SEE THE VIDEO SGT. BLUFF, Iowa — Last summer, we introduced you to Lolo, a young girl battling cancer and her sister Evelyn, who launched a blood drive in her honor. Now, they are going even bigger. "It's beneficial for not only our family but many families around the Siouxland area." All this week they are hosting a birthday blood drive with LifeServe Blood Center. 5-year-old Lolo has been battling leukemia since May of 2021 and has required several blood transfusions during her journey. "Lolo was diagnosed last May with B-Cell AL leukemia and she is 13 months in and the way our treatment plan is set up, we have another 13 months to go," said her dad, Jeff. "While she is medically in remission, she's still got a fight. We still have treatments to do and all sorts of different steps to take but we are on a positive path." Blood transfusions are a key part of her treatment. "Lolo is on her 9th blood transfusion this year and it is an amazing thing to see how she responds to that and how necessary it is for her treatment," Jeff said. Her family says this is their way of helping others who may need blood just like Lolo. "It's also important for not just Lolo, but everybody in Siouxland because there are thousands of cancer patients in the area and tens of thousands across the country," Jeff said. "So we need to have that for all sorts of reasons. And there's a shortage right now and we want to give back to a community that's given so much back to us." The family has hosted four blood drives with over 350 liters of blood donated so far. Evelyn also uses her platform as a 4-H'er to encourage others to donate. "The reason it's important for me to be a 4-H'er during these blood drives is because when I do my community service projects, it helps show the people who come and look at my project how important it is to do these things for people," Evelyn said. Lolo's halfway through her cancer journey and her family hopes they can help others in the community with these blood drives, just like Siouxland has already helped their little girl over the last 13 months. "She's doing really well," Jeff said of Lolo's cancer journey. "She's responded as planned and checked off all of the boxes. Even if we have had some hiccups where we've needed to go in for transfusions, they've done great and it really helps her out so she can keep fighting." If you would like to donate in Lolo's honor, you can schedule an appointment at LifeServe Blood Center in Sioux City all this week by going to their website here. SEE THE VIDEO OKOBOJI, Iowa — Miles of beaches, crystal clear waters and dozens of local restaurants are just a few of the draws that bring thousands to the Iowa Great Lakes every summer. "I always say if you haven't been here for 10 years, you really haven't been here," said Paul Plumb, "The park has had so many things happen in the last five years." Arnolds Park Amusement Park sits along the waterfront of West Lake Okoboji. Its historic wooden rollercoaster is an iconic lakefront feature, much like the cabins of Fillenwarth Beach. "We have 96 different units here at Fillenwarth Beach. Most of them are right on the waterfront," said Director of Operations at the resort, Rachel Fandel. Like the rest of the world, the Iowa Great Lakes Region was also impacted by COVID-19, and now with inflation and workforce challenges, this summer could throw another curveball. "Workforce has always been a challenge for us in the Iowa Great Lakes Area just because we do have so many seasonal businesses," said Okoboji Tourism Director Rebecca Peters, "because of that, we have we've been able to kind of face this issue head on for so many years." The summer season in Okoboji isn't just for Iowans and those who live in the Iowa Great Lakes. The region brings in students from across the world to get a taste of Iowa culture and experience a summer of fun they will never forget. "We also are really fortunate to have a number of J1 Visa students join us in the Iowa Great Lakes Area to experience what this area is like and what the United States is like," said Peters. A number of the students spend their summers with Arnolds Park. "I noticed because we use a visa program, a couple of different visa programs where we bring not only students but other HTB visas in from overseas and from other countries," said Plumb, marketing director for the park, "we have used that program extensively this year. Knowing that the job market is really tough right now. It's hard to find employees." These students not only come to work, but experience summers in Iowa, bringing a little bit of their own culture and traditions along, too. "We were blessed with their culture just as much as they were with ours," Plumb said, "being exposed to all the different cultures that we are because of that program has really helped us grow." These businesses also work with area schools to bolster the workforce. And locals who live here year-round are dedicated to seeing the region thrive. Fandel, who has been with Fillenwarth Beach since she was a teen, has seen the dedication firsthand. "You know the improvements that are continually made, the people that sink in hours and finances into this area is just really incredible." "We are so fortunate for the investment that's been made in this community really over the last 5-10 years and more," said Peters. "This community is constantly looking for ways to improve but also to embrace the history that we have." Fillenwarth Beach has been part of the community for over 100 years, with cabins, cottages, and activities for people of all ages during the summer season. "We have a very extensive recreation program where we have arts and crafts, we have chocolate tasting, beer tasting, wine tasting, there's always something fun to do for our guests," Fandel said. And much like Fillenwarth Beach, Arnolds Park has been a stop for many families for generations. "People come here for many years," Plumb said. "As you know, it's a generational place but not only parents bringing their kids but grandparents and great-grandparents are coming here and enjoying the same things that they enjoyed when they were kids and like you said just family memories that will last a lifetime." The park is constantly making improvements, while also holding true to its historic roots. "We tried to create that retro look to the park and just a place for people to bring their families and make memories that are going to last a lifetime," Plumb said as we walked up to The Legend rollercoaster. It's one of the oldest wooden coasters in the United States. "Our goal is just to see people smile," said Peters as we stood in one of the many museums, this one housing some iconic pieces from Arnolds Park's early days. "This is such a family friendly destination and it has been for generations and so like I said, our goal is to see people having a great time making memories and smiling and enjoying everything that area has to offer." From Arnolds Park, to Fillenwarth Beach and everything in between, the Iowa Great Lakes community takes all challenges head-on to provide the best possible experience to anyone who stops by. "2020 presented a huge challenge for a lot of us. And we were able to kind of reimagine the way that we do business in this area and it really allowed people the opportunity to still get out and still enjoy the Iowa Great Lakes even through the pandemic," Fandel said, "I'm just really proud of this community and their ability to adapt to those changes. And it's just been really wonderful working with business partners outside of the resort, and I'm really appreciative to all of those people." Arnolds Park opened for the season on May 21st. The park is open to the public for free with ride tickets sold separately. Fillenwarth Beach is quickly filling up reservations for the season, you can find more about their cabin rentals here. The Arnolds Park Area is also home to the Iowa Rock and Roll Museum, the historic Roof Garden, and a new outdoor music venue that will be open this summer for free concerts and events. SEE THE VIDEO With staff care at the core, MercyOne Siouxland adds special spiritual care team to roster5/12/2022 There are some new faces walking the halls of MercyOne Siouxland, but they are not really there for the patients but for staff and they are already leaving their mark on the hospital. "I feel really honored to be invited to help take care of the staff because they're just as smart as I am. And we have that we walked the same walk and I'm an employee, too." Lex Woodbury is one of two Spiritual Care Chaplains at MercyOne Siouxland. "Because we know that our nurses and the staff work really hard. So our job is to put some air under their wings." He and Matt Wentz have been walking the halls of MercyOne since February, interacting with staff or just giving a unit a little spiritual guidance. "Must to be able to interact with them, from people in PICU to ICU to really anywhere," said Wentz. "I try to go everywhere in the hospital whether somebody that's you're working on staff and just to let them know what we're doing and that we care for them." There has already been a change among the staff and Director of Inpatient Nursing Wendy Prins has seen it firsthand. "I think staff have already started to warm up to the chaplains," she said. "It could just be just a basic conversation. Some of them yes, are sharing more than others. And I believe that as they get to know and become familiar with them and see them on a regular basis, we'll start to see them open up and more conversations will happen." These interactions are coming after some of the hardest years ever felt in healthcare with the COVID-19 pandemic. "You know, COVID hit us for the last couple of years. I think healthcare in general, we just didn't realize how much of a toll is taken on our staff and family members and patients," Prins said of her team. "And we are human beings, too and we need to be taken care of." Wentz says interacting with and getting to know MercyOne staff on a personal level is extremely rewarding. "Part of it is there's just a joy there really is an excitement among the staff when they find out what it is our job is and why we're doing it. They have big smiles on their face and they're like willing to share with us." Lex and Matt aren't just there for the medical teams, but everyone on staff, for professional and personal guidance. "Because there are times I show up in the cafeteria area where they're taking care of and preparing food and doing the dishes and I just say hey, I'm here if you guys need anything, let me know and just to be able to visit with him," Wentz said. "They're pretty delighted in that because they also have some concerns and some things that are weighing heavy on their heart." Woodbury agreed, "I can tell you that makes a difference. And sometimes somebody will come up and say, Well, I haven't really talked to you very much but I like to see you come by every night. It just gives me a feeling a good feeling of solidarity that you guys are here. Because taking care of our medical staff means better care for us when we need them most," which is one reason why MercyOne Siouxland brought Lex and Matt on. "In order for our patients or our employees to take care of our patients, they also need to take care of themselves," Prins said. "And this is a really big part of that having the chaplains here." No matter your beliefs, what religion you practice, or if you even practice at all, sometimes all you need is a little faith. "I've visited with lots of people from different faiths, different walks of life even and some of them don't have a faith and yet they share humanity with me," Wentz said, "and to be able to entertain and have that story kind of shared between the two of us. It's a really great thing." Currently, Lex and Matt work late evenings and overnight, but MercyOne hopes to add more to their spiritual care team to cover all shifts and parts of the hospital. SEE THE VIDEO We rely on them to keep us safe and help us during some of our most vulnerable moments and they are put into situations many couldn't imagine. "We're required to be social workers, we're required to be therapists, a lot of times we're required to be that Emergency Medical Responder," Officers, like Andrew Dutler with the Sioux City Police Department, go through training several times a year. "But it's as far diverse as driving, talking. We work a lot on communicating and de escalation," Dutler said. "Really anything that you can think of that we do, this is covered in that biannual training." This spring, part of that training involved field medicine, because oftentimes officers are the first to arrive when life-saving medical care is necessary "When we show up on the scene, hopefully we can assess it very quickly and then we can apply the appropriate skills to take care of that person," said Dutler. Officer Calvin Chang was leading the medical training "We aren't doctors, we don't have the training, we don't have the equipment to completely treat someone right there," said Officer Chang. "So our thing is to stabilize and to get them either to an ambulance or to a hospital where they can get a higher level of care." In some instances, trained medical staff can't get to those who need immediate medical care. "Places where emergency medical services, ambulances, things like that, can't go in immediately because of the imminent threat," said Chang. For those who wear the uniform, the job is more than just patrol. "We know when we get involved as police officers, at very least, people are probably going to be experiencing some discomfort or some anxiety," Dutler said of the job. "And so although this is our biannual training, we do truly train on a daily basis." And they are constantly working to get better and better serve their neighbors. "It's an education that's ongoing, and when you talk to officers who have been doing this job for 25 years, they'll even tell you it's like sometimes they learn something new on a daily basis," Dutler said, "since the Sioux City Police Department takes a lot of pride in the amount of training that we do." These men and women in police uniform, making sure they have the skills they need to help you when you need it most. "We truly work in a career field where seconds matter," Dutler said, "And so that's why doing this ongoing training, it defeats maybe some uncertainty that might creep into an officer's head when they get to a scene." "And that's why a lot of times you see officers moving so fast, sometimes no matter what they're doing is because we're trying to assess something very quickly, and we're trying to leave a person or a situation better than what we found it." SEE THE VIDEO |
Katie CoppleWeb articles from my time at Siouxland News. Categories
All
Archives
May 2023
|