“I, or the Orion Clinic staff, will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the closure.”

Please do not hesitate to call the Orion Clinic staff at 309.526.3957 or Colton Anderson at 309.944.9182 if you have any questions or concerns.

The Geneseo Police Department and IMPACT team announce that Geneseo is now a Dementia Friendly Community through Dementia Friendly America! Geneseo is one of only 31 communities in Illinois who is certified as dementia-friendly. The GPD has collaborated with community members and businesses to develop the Geneseo Dementia Friendly Task Force which includes Heather Charlet, CNO, Hammond-Henry Hospital.

This task force meets quarterly to discuss how they can spread awareness, help individuals who suffer from dementia, and offer support to their caregivers.

In addition to Heather Charlet, other Geneseo Task Force members include: Paige Seibel with the City of Geneseo; Joe Wells with Central Bank; Shelly Hickerson with Black Hawk Bank; Diane Dynes with Liberty Village; Mike Sigwalt with the Geneseo Food Pantry; Barb Sigwalt with the Geneseo Library; Sarah Snyder with Rebuilding Together; Nicole Burton with Henry County Seniors; and Bill Horrell with Alternatives for the Older Adult. Representatives from the Geneseo Police Department include Chief Casey Disterhoft, Jamie Shoemaker, Tim Steines, Amber Berthoud, and Ben Sleaford.

The next Hammond-Henry Hospital Impact Life Bloodmobile will be held on Thursday, November 30 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Hospital Conference Room, which is located on the first floor. Appointments are required. To schedule, please call Impact Life at 800.747.5401 or register online at www.bloodcenter.org.

Chronic Care Management (CCM) includes a comprehensive care plan that lists your health programs and goals, your providers and medication, devices you have and need, and other important information about your health. You must be referred to this program or be an established Medicare patient of any of our providers within Hammond-Henry Hospital's clinics to participate.

Qualifying chronic illnesses include, but are not limited to: Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, arthritis, asthma, atrial fibrillation, autism spectrum disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, COPD, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and infectious diseases like HIV and AIDS. Depending on the particular Medicare program participants are enrolled in, some may not need to pay anything to participate in this program while others may incur a minimal monthly charge.

One of the most important benefits of the CCM program is that enrollees will have access to an on-call and qualified doctor or nurse practitioner 24 hours a day/7 days a week - no matter if it's a chronic condition or an urgent need. Additionally, HHH's CCM Specialist Ruth Hepner, LPN, will contact participants by phone on a monthly basis to go over care plans specific to their physical health and emotional well-being. Participants will also need to be seen at least once a year by a doctor, and the CCM Specialist will help participants get that appointment and any other support needed year-round.

The CCM Specialist will help keep participants healthier by identifying particular health problems, expected outcome and prognosis, measurable treatment goals, cognitive and functional assessment, symptom management, planned interventions, medication management, environmental evaluation, caregiver assessment, interaction and coordination with outside resources, practitioners and providers, requirements for periodic review, and revision of the care plan when applicable.

The CCM Specialist will also ensure the prompt sharing of continuity of care documents with other practitioners. She will assess all participants' health needs, make sure participants receive timely recommended preventive services, review medications and any potential interactions, oversee medication regimens, and coordinate care with home and community-based clinical service providers. For more information about the HHH Chronic Care Management Program, please contact CCM Specialist Ruth Hepner at 309.944.1275.