Mitchell County | Health Scene | Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020 3 Mitchell County Regional Health Center is pleased to announce the addition of Megan Peterson, DO, to its medical staff. Dr. Peterson earned her medical degree from Des Moines University and will complete her family practice residency at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines next year. A native of Osage, Dr. Peterson earned her undergraduate degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa. Before medical school, she worked as a CNA at Mitchell County Regional Health Center, an experience she says inspired her to become a doctor. Her specialties include women’s health and osteopathic manipulative medicine. We look forward to welcoming her home in 2021! Veteran donates stimulus check money As the Director of Veterans Affairs for Mitchell County, Larry Klemesrud is quite well-known in the area. He’s also known for his giving spirit. So, when Klemesrud heard a $1,200 government stimulus check was coming his way, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with the money. But he wasn’t going to wait on the government to get it to him. Having seen news coverage of the nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic, Klemesrud says he scraped together $1,200 for Mitchell County Regional Health Center specifically for PPE. Klemesrud, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, likened the lack of PPE to heading into a military battle without armor. “The need for PPE was clear and urgent,” he says. “I saw the stimulus check as an opportunity to help my community, and given the immediate need for PPE, I chose not to wait for the check.” Klemesrud donated the money to help health care workers in memory of his aunt, Mary Miller, a former MCRHC nurse for many years. “What a wonderful and selfless donation,” says Shelly Russell, MCRHC CEO. Erik Branstetter, DO surgeon Colleen Byrnes, ARNP nurse practitioner Mark Haganman, DO family medicine Benson Hargens, MD family medicine Coral Gerdts, DPM podiatry Jeff Nasstrom, DO family medicine Robert Roggensack, OD optometry Stephanie Taets, ARNP nurse practitioner Marcia Rosendahl, ARNP nurse practitioner Holly Voigt, PA-C physician assistant Toni Luck, ARNP nurse practitioner Kelly Ross, MD family medicine Tony Johnson, CRNA, DNAP nurse anesthetist Callie White, ARNP nurse practitioner Julie Potter, ARNP nurse practitioner Your trusted health care partners for life Family Medicine Surgery Emergency Department Specialty Keeping your hands clean helps stop the spread of the coronavirus. If you don’t have access to soap and water, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is a good alternative. Be sure to rub it all over your hands until they’re dry. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 101 Megan Peterson, DO Looking ahead: MCRHC welcomes new physician HAND SANITIZER