Great River Health

Great River Health Learn more about our services on our website. Right place. Right care. Right here.

Great River Health provides Southeast Iowa with high-quality, accessible, and compassionate health care through our system of hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and more.

11/29/2025

The Paragas sisters recently created a memory box for their mother, Liwayway Paragas, who has been experiencing early dementia. They shared how meaningful the process has been, not only for their mom, but also for themselves and for the staff at the Klein Center, where their mom has lived for two years.

Sue Sorenson reflected on the role of the memory box, saying, “Sometimes you see the people in nursing homes, and you don’t know the life they had before that. With the memory box, you can see that these people had a life before they got to Klein, and I think it’s important to realize that.”

At Klein and Park Place, our mission is to help everyone live with purpose, independence, and dignity. Whether someone is in memory care, skilled care, or has chosen Klein or Park Place as their home. We strive to understand their stories, their history, and what brings them joy.

The path to long-term care looks different for each family, but one thing remains the same: the sense of relief when your loved one receives the support they need, knowing they are safe, cared for, and genuinely known -- it can lift a tremendous weight.

It’s never too early to understand long-term care options for yourself or someone you love.

Discover when long-term care may be the right choice and how to discuss it with your family.👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/news/releases/understanding-your-options-long-term-care/

🌟 We’re excited to celebrate Sierra Redd, a radiologic technology student at SCC who has accepted a sponsorship with Gre...
11/27/2025

🌟 We’re excited to celebrate Sierra Redd, a radiologic technology student at SCC who has accepted a sponsorship with Great River Health. She will be joining our team as a special procedures technician in the Heart & Vascular Center on our West Burlington campus! 🌟

Our student sponsorships provide financial support while investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals, ensuring students like Sierra can start their careers, grow, and serve our community.

Interested in a healthcare career with us? Explore opportunities at Great River Health. 👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/careers/

❗❗ NEW EVENT, NEW VENUE ❗❗ Join the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Auxiliary for Sip & Swirl -- our first-ever W...
11/27/2025

❗❗ NEW EVENT, NEW VENUE ❗❗

Join the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Auxiliary for Sip & Swirl -- our first-ever Wine Tasting Event at the beautiful Cedar & Vine on Friday, December 5, 2025!

🕔 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🎶 Enjoy live music by Owen Wolfe
🍷 Includes one wine flight

🎟️ Tickets can be purchased in advance at the West Burlington Gift Shop or from any Auxiliary member.
• $50 in advance
• $60 at the door

Be among the first to experience Cedar & Vine during their exclusive soft opening — sip, savor, and celebrate a great night for a great cause supporting hospital projects and scholarships for students!

Grab your tickets early and join us for an unforgettable evening!
👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/calendar/events/sip-swirl/

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving from Great River Health! 🦃 We’re so thankful for our incredible employees who make a differe...
11/26/2025

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving from Great River Health! 🦃

We’re so thankful for our incredible employees who make a difference every single day and for our patients who trust us with their care and good health. You’re the reason we do what we do. 💙

Please note that all of our outpatient clinics will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

Our Walk-In Clinics in West Burlington, Fort Madison, and Keokuk will be closed on Thursday, November 27. However, if you need care over the weekend, our Walk-In Clinics will be open on Friday, November 28, from 7 AM to 2 PM, and will return to their regular hours on Saturday, November 29.

Need immediate care? Our Emergency Departments in West Burlington, Fort Madison, and Mount Pleasant are always open.

View holiday walk-in clinic hours and learn where to go for the right care by clicking here: https://www.greatriverhealth.org/health-services/walk-in/

11/25/2025

Whether you're working to reverse pre-diabetes or manage your diabetes with confidence, our team is here to support you every step of the way. Through guidance and education, we’ll help you build sustainable habits and become the healthiest version of yourself.

Henry County Health Center offers both one-on-one and group diabetes education classes with certified diabetes educator, Katie Westphal, BSN. SEIRMC West Burlington and Fort Madison also provide individualized sessions with registered dietitians who help you set goals, stay accountable, and feel empowered in your diabetes management journey.

Upcoming Classes at Henry County Health Center: 👇👇👇

💙 December 2 – Diabetes Support Group (We will discuss ways to navigate your diabetes during the holidays)
2:00–3:00 PM, Suite 25

💙 December 11 – Annual Review Course
1:00–3:00 PM, Suite 25
Please RSVP by Tuesday, December 9.

💙 December 16 – Group Class
8:30 AM–2:30 PM, Suite 25

💙 December 18 – Continuous Glueclose Support Group
2:00 – 3:00 PM, Suite 25

Take the first step toward better health and get the tools you need to take control of your diabetes. 👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/health-services/diabetes-care/

11/25/2025

November is both Hospice and Palliative Care Month, two services that are often misunderstood or used interchangeably. While they share similarities, it's important to realize that each plays a unique role in supporting patients and families.

Barb and Miles Gardner share their family’s experience with hospice care. Their daughter, Brittany, passed away at just 48 after a 5-year battle with lymphoma. When she learned of her diagnosis, Brittany chose not to pursue curative treatments. Palliative care would have been a helpful option to support her comfort and quality of life during that time, but it wasn’t yet available. Today, at Great River Health, both hospice and palliative care can provide meaningful comfort, guidance, and support for families like the Gardners. Here's how they each work:

💙Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with serious illnesses. It can begin at any stage of an illness and work alongside active treatments. The focus is on managing pain and symptoms, reducing stress, and supporting emotional, spiritual, and practical needs. Palliative care helps patients and families understand their options, make informed decisions, and maintain the best possible quality of life—long before a patient is near the end of life.

💙 Hospice provides care for people with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less when the focus shifts from cure to comfort. Hospice provides dignity and quality at the end of life; it begins only when curative treatments are no longer effective or desired. Similar to palliative care, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, and comfort-focused care are also key aspects. Hospice provides comfort, guidance, and 24/7 support, allowing families to focus on spending meaningful time together. It also offers bereavement services for loved ones.

We’re grateful to offer both services to our community. To learn more about these services, visit our website. 👇

More about our hospice care: https://bit.ly/44aPddt

More about our palliative care: https://bit.ly/3LQVYuC

11/24/2025

What’s the difference between our Internal Resource Pool (IRP) and travel nursing? 💼

Hear from Austin Torrence, RN, who does both!

Our IRP program was designed to give employees the best of both worlds: competitive pay, self-scheduling, flexibility, and variety, with the stability and connection that come with being part of our health system.

Ready to find your balance between freedom and stability?

👉 Learn more about IRP careers at Great River Health:
https://www.greatriverhealth.org/careers/right-choice-irp/

This week marks Antibiotic Awareness Week, a campaign aimed at educating the public, healthcare workers, and communities...
11/24/2025

This week marks Antibiotic Awareness Week, a campaign aimed at educating the public, healthcare workers, and communities about the dangers of antibiotic misuse and the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria evolve in a way that makes antibiotics less effective or completely ineffective. This is a serious concern because if bacteria stop responding to treatment, routine infections could once again become life-threatening.

While bacterial evolution is natural, our behaviors can accelerate resistance. Here are ways we can help slow it down:

✔️ Avoid overusing antibiotics
Taking antibiotics for illnesses they can’t treat like colds, flu, sore throats, or other viral infections, exposes bacteria to medicine unnecessarily and increases the chances they’ll mutate.

✔️ Always finish your prescription
Even if you feel better, stopping antibiotics early can leave behind the strongest bacteria. These surviving bacteria multiply and become much harder to treat.

✔️ Understand the role of agriculture
Although not directly in our control, it’s important to know that antibiotics are widely used on farms to prevent disease or promote growth in animals, contributing to resistant bacteria entering the food chain.

✔️ Consider the impact of global travel
Resistant bacteria can spread quickly across borders. As people travel, so do the bacteria they carry, allowing resistant strains to move around the world.

Antibiotic resistance threatens the treatments we rely on every day, including:
Surgeries
Cancer treatments
Organ transplants
Care for pneumonia, UTIs, skin infections, sepsis, and more

Learn the difference between viral and bacterial infections and what you can do to prevent illness this season—so you can avoid unnecessary antibiotics altogether. 👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/news/releases/antibiotic-awareness-week-2025/

Dr. Restivo has been seeing patients in West Burlington, but she is also now accepting new patients at our Fort Madison ...
11/21/2025

Dr. Restivo has been seeing patients in West Burlington, but she is also now accepting new patients at our Fort Madison Campus! 👋

Dr. Ediana Restivo joined our General Surgery team in August and has been a key leader in advancing surgical innovation at Great River Health. She is pioneering the use of the Da Vinci 5 robot as part of our growing surgical robotics program.

Dr. Restivo is committed to delivering exceptional, patient-centered care—before, during, and after surgery.

Learn more about Dr. Restivo and how the Da Vinci 5 robot works. Schedule your appointment today. 👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/.../ediana-restivo-md/

The need for long-term care often unfolds gradually; it's easy to overlook, but the truth is... 7 out of 10 Americans ag...
11/19/2025

The need for long-term care often unfolds gradually; it's easy to overlook, but the truth is... 7 out of 10 Americans age 65 and older will require some form of long-term care at some point in their lives, so let's start thinking about it now, before it becomes an urgent, stressful reality.

Long-term care isn’t just nursing homes. It can include home health services, assisted living, adult day centers, and more. The good news? Here in Southeast Iowa, we’re fortunate to have exceptional options close to home. In fact, Klein Center and Park Place both currently have openings for new residents!

It’s important to recognize that long-term care needs, for you or a loved one, may be closer than you realize.

Our new blog explains our approach to long-term care, what factors to consider early, and how to start meaningful conversations with your family to make the transition smoother. It's never easy, but we are here to help.

Learn more about our long-term care options and how to plan ahead. 👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/news/releases/understanding-your-options-long-term-care/

You can now schedule general surgery appointments on our Fort Madison campus! Cass Dunivan, ARNP is accepting new patien...
11/18/2025

You can now schedule general surgery appointments on our Fort Madison campus! Cass Dunivan, ARNP is accepting new patients.

A general surgery appointment doesn’t always mean you need surgery. Visits are often scheduled to evaluate a concern, discuss treatment options, or follow up after a procedure.

If you’re experiencing pain or think you may need an evaluation, Cass is here to help. She provides thorough assessments, supports pre-surgery planning, assists during procedures, and offers post-procedure care and education.

During your appointment, Cass will review your symptoms, perform an exam, order any necessary imaging or labs, and walk you through whether surgery or another treatment may be the right next step.

Ready to learn more about Cass or schedule an appointment? 👉 https://www.greatriverhealth.org/provider-directory/providers/cass-dunivan-arnp/

Address

1221 S Gear Avenue
West Burlington, IA
52655

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Great River Health posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Great River Health:

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category