Greenbelt Home Care  

Annual Report

July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

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Greenbelt Home Care

1707 21st Street

Eldora, IA 50627

Message from the Administrator                                                

I am pleased to present the FY23 Greenbelt Home Care Annual Report. This report highlights the great work that is happening in our community through direct services and in partnership with other agencies that serve our community.

Our most important infrastructure is our workforce. Each of my team members, at each level, plays a vital role to advance public health and home care in Hardin County.

And as we near the end of 2023, I look back at the almost 4 years it has been since I began this journey as the Administrator of Greenbelt Home Care and I continue to stand in awe at the goals we have surpassed and the obstacles we have overcome. All the staff at Greenbelt Home Care continue to show insurmountable strength, determination and compassion in everything they do. This work couldn’t be done without every single one of them. Our Home Health department continues to serve the residents of Hardin and Grundy counties and has remained steady and stable with our nurses and home care aides providing exceptional care every day. Our Private Duty program has grown significantly over the past year and it is showing promise to continue on that trend. Our Public Health department has started several new initiatives recently that will help to promote and protect the health of Hardin County residents and we are excited to see these initiatives have an impact and to bring many other opportunities to the communities throughout this coming year. The work we do doesn’t just enrich our own lives, it enriches our community and our clients’ lives.

As we look ahead, it’s important that we remain diligent and committed to our objectives and keep working together towards success because together we achieve great things and the work we do matters.

I encourage you to visit our website at www.greenbelthomecare.com or follow us on Facebook, to learn more about our agency and the services we provide. On behalf of Greenbelt Home Care, I would like to thank you for your support. 

FY 22 Accomplishments

• Have increased our private duty patients from 2 as of last October to 6 as of today.  This service continues to be an excellent revenue source to the agency while also helping a special needs child in the community be cared for and monitored by a skilled nurse so that parents are able to work.
• Although there was a time last winter when we were struggling to fill a couple vacated positions, they have been filled now and we have been fully staffed ever since.
• Home Health census has remained steady and consistent over this past year, if not slightly higher than it has been for several years, with referrals continuing to come in regularly.
• Completed our DIA inspection last December with flying colors and only minimal citations
• We began working in collaboration with Webster County to provide twice monthly WIC clinics - once at our offices in Eldora and the other in Iowa Falls.
• Amanda Jones was promoted into the PH Coordinator position and Jena Loyd was promoted into the Maternal/Child Health Coordinator position and both have done a remarkable job in their new roles
• Amanda and Jena became certified car seat technicians
• Amanda became a certified CPR instructor and will be offering free CPR to residents of Hardin County using manikins and AED simulators that we received with our Emergency Preparedness grant.

FY23 Future Goals

• Continue to grow the private duty nursing department.
• Begin to develop and grow a new maternal/child health program
• Continue to grow and develop new health initiatives for residents of Hardin County - many are already in the development/early initiation phase
• Begin working on goals and interventions for our CHA/CHIP
• Continue to have low turnover in staff by continuing to ensure a positive work environment with flexibility and good work/life balance.
• Continue to provide educational opportunities for all staff.

Hardin County Board of Directors:

Tom Borer - Chair

Dave Dunn- Vice Chair

BJ Hoffman - Secretary

Hardin County Board of Health Members:

Maile Carter - Chairperson

Breanne Butler - Vice Chair

Curtis O’ Loughlin, MD - Member

Kristine Hodges - Member

Renee` McClellan - Member

Amanda Winters - Member

Tom Borer - Member

Funding

School Immunization Audits

Each year Greenbelt Home Care provides assistance to all community schools and registered daycares to ensure compliance with school immunization requirements.  School audit information is collected and reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health as well as to the appropriate school nurses, principals, and superintendents. 91.9 percent of Child Care Attendees were considered fully immunized with 8.1 percent that were under or un-immunized.  90.3 percent of students Kindergarten through 12th grade were considered fully immunized with 9.7 percent that were under or un-immunized.

Foot Clinics

Feet are your body’s foundation, so keeping them healthy is vital to your overall health. Oftentimes, our feet are neglected. Not because we purposefully ignore them, but because we don’t know the importance of taking care of them. Greenbelt Home Care offers monthly in-home foot clinics to have your feet professionally inspected and cared for by one of our nurses. In FY22, we provided 145 foot care visits.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Greenbelt Home Care participates in the Service Area 2 healthcare coalition. The purpose of this coalition is to ensure local public health departments and hospitals are ready to respond to public health emergencies.  Some initiatives of this grant include maintenance, storage, and deployment of resources and assets, developing emergency plans and operational procedures, and plan, track, and documenting response activities. Funds can also be utilized locally to assist in community preparedness.

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa

Greenbelt Home Care and the Hardin County Child Abuse Prevention Coalition subcontract with Crisis Intervention Services to implement sexual abuse programming in Hardin County. Crisis Intervention Services utilizes the Care for Kids & Child Lure curriculums for school age children and the Stewards of Children curriculum for adults. In FY 22, Crisis Intervention Services offered 158 sexual abuse prevention sessions that served 884 children and adults.

Car Seat Safety

Greenbelt Home Care sent two staff to become nationally certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians this year. Car Seat Technicians use their considerable knowledge and expertise at a variety of community-based activities, such as child safety seat checks, where parents and caregivers receive education and hands-on assistance. Greenbelt Home Care hosted two car seat safety events in FY 22 and gave out 11 car seats to families in need. The two CPS technicians at Greenbelt Home Care are the only active CPS technicians in Hardin County.

Little Food Pantries

Greenbelt Home Care received a grant in 2018 from the Hardin County Endowment Foundation to place 25 Little Food Pantries around Hardin County. The mini pantry movement is a grassroots, crowdsourced solution to immediate and local needs. Whether a need for food or a need to give, mini pantries help feed neighbors, nourishing neighborhoods. Hardin County currently has 16 Little Food Pantries placed around Hardin County to assist in addressing the need for food or the need to give. We receive donations from many businesses and churches to assist in keeping these Little Food Pantries stocked on a regular basis.

Back to School Event

For families experiencing financial hardship, the back-to-school season can be a stressful time.  According to a recent study conducted by the National Retail Federation, families can expect to spend about $864 on back-to-school items.  On Saturday, August 6th, Greenbelt Home Care hosted a free event for students of all ages and their families to assist with getting essential items for the upcoming school year. With the help of our community partners, about 190 children were provided with backpacks filled with school supplies to get them prepared for going back to school.  276 parents and children were registered for the event and were served a delicious meal, received free haircuts, free sports physicals, free vaccinations, free dental exams, and free produce from the Eldora Community Garden.

Helping Holidays in Hardin

Christmas can be a stressful time for anyone but those dealing with financial concerns, unemployment, housing issues or financial debt might be more likely to feel increased stress during this time of year as the pressure of Christmas mounts. This year in particular, the financial stress of Christmas will feel heavier than usual for many following the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, December 11th Bethany Lutheran Church, Greenbelt Home Care, and the Iowa Falls Rotary in partnership with the Toys for Tots program joined forces to host one Christmas Event for Hardin County Families who are experiencing financial hardship. This event provided something for the whole family including a free breakfast, a Kids Christmas Zone, and the toy room where parents were able to pick out toys for their children. In total, approximately 160 Hardin County families were served through the event on December 11th.

FY 23 BY THE NUMBERS

 589 Immunizations Administered        

                       54,759 Individuals Reached Through Facebook

          17,866 Miles Driven

113 Drug Screens Performed

53 DNA Tests Performed

 7,783 Hours of Personal Cares and Homemaking Performed

323 Pleased Clients

16 Communicable Diseases Investigated

Client & Provider Quotes

“Your nurse, Jena, who came over was the loveliest lady I’ve ever talked to. She spoke to me with so much heart and compassion and was so very caring.”

“I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about Greenbelt Home Care and this visit just confirmed that”

“The nursing staff are very caring and I appreciate everything they do.”

“I was very happy with all the providers they sent to my home.”

“Good program for the elderly.”

“They have always been excellent.”

“I have had a very good experience with them.”

“It is absolutely excellent. They take great care of me.”

“I appreciate them very much.”

“They provide wonderful care.”

They were wonderful and very good to me. If I had to have them again, I definitely would.”

“They care about their patients.”

“She told me that Kim treats her so beautifully!” -Iowa Total Care Case Manager