Geddes Appointed To Chief Nursing Officer
(Le Mars, IA) Dustin Wright, Floyd Valley Healthcare CEO, is pleased to announce that Tara Geddes, RN, MHA, has been named Floyd Valley Healthcare’s Chief Nursing Officer. She will begin her duties on January 3, 2022. In her position, Tara will be part of the senior leadership team managing and directing many clinical and nursing care services.
Tara graduated from WITCC with her Associates Degree in Nursing in 2001 and began her nursing career caring for surgical and oncology patients. She has held several leadership roles throughout her career including quality management and patient services at a federally qualified health center, hospice team manager and a medical manager. Since 2014, Tara has lead Floyd Valley Community Health. In 2017 she received her Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Briar Cliff University. Tara is also an adjunct faculty at WITCC in Sioux City.
Wright commented, “We are excited to have Tara join the leadership team. Her expertise in leading not only our organization, but all of Plymouth County during the pandemic was outstanding. We are confident she will bring that same enthusiasm and knowledge to all of our clinical services.”
Wright added, “We would also like to wish Lorrie Mortensen, our current CNO, well as she will be retiring after an amazing 43 year nursing career. Her first position was with Floyd Valley Hospital from 1978 – 1983 as a staff nurse. She then spent three years with Medical Associates as a clinic nurse and returned to Floyd Valley from1986 – 1995 as a nursing supervisor. She held various nursing management positions throughout the US. Seems fitting that Lorrie would return to Floyd Valley Healthcare in 2016 as Director of Patient Care, concluding her successful nursing career at the end of 2021. She is looking forward to spending more time at the lake, traveling and visiting her children and grandchildren.
Wright adds, “We are sad to see Lorrie leave our Floyd Valley team, but know she will always be a “family member.” We wish her all the best in retirement!”
Travel Is Rebounding To Pre-pandemic Levels
(Ames) — Travel in and out of the state has continued to recover from the pandemic shutdowns. Iowa D-O-T spokesperson, Stuart Anderson, recently told the Transportation Commission that air travel is still getting back to normal.
Anderson says it is uncertain what impact the latest COVID variants might have on those airline traffic levels. He says travel on the state roadways has bounced back and held.
Anderson says the volume on the county system is a little above the pre-pandemic levels — while the traffic in cities is a little below those levels.
Winter Storm Watch Issued For Several Counties
(Undated) — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for several counties for Friday night through Saturday. The watch area begins in Story County and spreads south to cover most of the southeast and southwest corners of the state. The storm could bring snow from three to eight inches. It is also expected to bring the coldest weather of the winter — including potentially dangerous wind chills at times from Saturday morning through Sunday morning.
Partiers Reminded To Get A Designated Driver
(Undated) — State and local law officers plan to put more officers on the roadways through this New Year’s weekend. They will be targeting drunk drivers and advise you to plan ahead now to have a designated driver if you are going to be drinking during the holiday. Winter weather could also cause additional problems with driving, and the message is to make sure you can celebrate the holiday and get home safely.
Cedar Rapids Tries New Sidewalk Snow Program
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The city of Cedar Rapids is trying a new program this year to help residents clear the snow from their sidewalks. The program called “Snow Buddies” uses volunteers to shovel sidewalks and driveways for those who can’t do it for themselves. It kicks in after there have been two inches or more of snowfall. The program comes after changes to the city’s snow ordinance which gives residents less time to clear snow away after a storm. The change in the Cedar Rapids ordinance now requires residents to clear sidewalks within 24 hours — which cuts the time in half.
