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Working For Wellness in Ames, IA and Story County

Discover why area health care providers rank among the nation's best.

By Laura Hill on February 19, 2020

Ames
Steve Woit

Health care professionals know that patient access to care close to home can make a big difference in outcomes. And with three major health care providers, Story County residents enjoy award-winning care, the latest medical technology, and caring, compassionate professionals with experience in a wide range of specialties.

Mary Greeley Medical Center

Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC) is a 220-bed regional provider that serves 13 counties in central Iowa. Its long history dates to 1914, and today, its inpatient and outpatient services include cancer care, cardiac care, obstetrics, gastroenterology, orthopedics, emergency care, home health care, hospice and diabetes care.

MGMC is also well known for its behavioral health services, among them an adult inpatient unit and a facility to help with transitional living crises. The hospital’s emergency department offers a section devoted to adolescent and adult behavioral health patients.

Ames, IA Mary Greeley Medical Center
Ames / Jeff Adkins

In 2019, MGMC was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award as well as the prestigious Magnet designation for nursing care quality. It is one of only 12 hospitals in the country to have earned both. The honors, says Brian Dieter, MGMC president and CEO, can be attributed to MGMC’s emphasis on constant improvement.

“Our staff are very engaged with performance improvements. The results have significantly enhanced our care, and we can see that through our patient satisfaction scores,†Dieter says. “Also, we have a strong culture. Everyone who works here knows that contributes to the experiences patients and families have the minute they walk through our doors. We are all here to ensure everyone has an outstanding experience.”

McFarland Clinic

McFarland Clinic‘s five founding physicians believed a multispecialty clinic best served the community’s needs. That was in 1946, and today, that vision is realized in a clinic whose 300 providers offer primary care as well as care in more than 50 different medical specialties.

“McFarland Clinic is a physician-led, physician- owned multispecialty clinic. The physicians are directly involved in the decision making of the organization and focused on doing what is best for the patient,†says Andrew Perry, chief executive officer of McFarland Clinic.

“This focus continues to be recognized through various high quality of care metrics within the health care industry.”

Ames
Jeff Adkins

Iowa’s largest insurer has rated McFarland Clinic No. 1 in quality and value for three consecutive years, from 2016-2018. Wellmark’s 3M Value Index Score (VIS) has placed McFarland Clinic at the top of these measurements over several of the state’s largest systems and clinics.

McFarland and MGMC work in close collaboration to serve patients, sharing a medical records system. The two providers’ main facilities in Ames are connected by a hallway, enabling greater coordination of services and providing a comfortable and convenient setting for patients and families.

Reaching out to the community, McFarland doctors travel around central Iowa, providing care at clinics and specialty hospitals in rural areas.

Story County Medical Center

Story County Medical Center, located in Nevada, is an affiliate of UnityPoint Health. It is a comprehensive critical-access hospital, which provides advanced care, including inpatient and outpatient surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, gynecology, cancer care, sleep studies and more. The hospital also provides rehab and wellness services in partnership with 21st Century Rehab as well as 24/7 senior care at its North Campus in Nevada.

Story Medical offers family care services for infants, children and adults at clinics in Maxwell and Nevada, and a Natural Health Clinic in Ames. It boasts access to the only on-site helipad in Story County.

“At Story Medical, we are large enough to deliver a wide range of services but small enough to deliver the kind of personalized care our patients expect and deserve,†says Loni Pringnitz, chief development officer.

Ames
Steve Woit

“We provide an array of services all under one roof and access to our facility is easy – right off highway 30 in Nevada. We hear regularly from our patients that Story Medical has a ‘hometown feel’ and that they are impressed with the variety of services we provide.”

The hospital’s commitment to community service includes providing medical coverage at Nevada High School athletic events, a Walk-in Kids Clinic and extended hours for flu shots.

Its Medically Oriented Gym (MOG) takes wellness a step further, offering individual attention to people suffering from chronic illness.

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