OTTUMWA —
I have said in the past that I was ready to leave Ottumwa many times, but there was one major problem— my wife Denita loves her career and did not want to move.
I had heard time and time again how wonderful Ottumwa Regional Health Center has been to her and the patients she deals with. Listening to her joy and happiness, I decided to apply for the position of staff chaplain in December. It was a calling that I had thought about for years but never felt comfortable in other states I had lived. Though I had working in a medical center environment in Oklahoma in materials management, this was different.
As the staff chaplain here, I have the best position of all — seeing the patients daily, many of the staff, plus communion and prayer services and assisting with special events. Serving on the cancer and ethics committees strengthens my core work in bringing spiritual support to those in need.
Our chapel, though small, has given much desired refuge to those needing the power of prayer.
Support groups for single parents, divorce and partners of loved ones with illnesses will be established in the coming months.
My favorite project thus far is a trip to Haiti. We are representing Ottumwa Regional Health Center in a poverty-devastated area in Thomaseau, outside of Port-a-Prince. Along with RegionalCare, our parent company, we are building a 40-bed hospital and clinic. Several of our staff, including doctors and nurses will be going to assist with this project in June.
What a blessing it is to be a part of Ottumwa Regional Health Center. The stories I have heard vs. what I have experienced through patients, families, friends, staff, volunteers and administration is not what I thought I might get myself into. These groups of people are wonderful to work with and it is a pleasure to say I am a part of the Ottumwa Regional Health Center team.
Gary Brooks
Ottumwa
Letters to the Editor
March 2, 2013
It’s a blessing being part of ORHC community
- Letters to the Editor
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- Pay attention to safety concerns Time to make Ottumwa a quiet zone for trains, it would make for safer crossings that cannot be driven around when the arms are down. Then they can also concentrate on that instead of changing all of the traffic flow at Evans Middle School, opening cl
- Injuries to infants, children can be prevented In the April 25 Courier, there were two stories of very young children who may have been severely harmed by a caretaker. We only know the circumstances revealed by the media, but our community has heard of these tragedies before. Only about 2 percent
- Church extends a heartfelt thanks As I sit here in my office that still smells of smoke from the fire our church suffered this past week, I remind myself how fortunate we are to be in a city where people still watch out for one another, and we, the members of the First Church of God,
- Program helps new parents In light of recent developments, I would like to increase the public's awareness of the NEST Program available through our Wapello County Extension and Outreach at 214 E. Main St. This program is available for parents of newborns through age 5, as we
- One giant mud hole to China Once upon a time, long, long ago, the neighbor kids and I used to like to dig in the ditch after a nice rain and make mud pies. We’d squat beside our hole in the ground with our long-handled spoons and take turns digging and filling our muffin pans
- Superintendent says 'thank you' May is School Board Appreciation Month. Today, the district held its Staff Appreciation and Teacher of the Year Breakfast, and last week was the Faculty Follies program organized by the Education Foundation for Fairfield Public Schools. I am full of
- Address mental health concerns for veterans Memorial Day will soon be here and we will pay tribute to our deceased loved ones. This Memorial Day, let's pay special tribute to our deceased veterans — like my dad — Don Butts, who served in World War II (Battle of the Bulge — one of the worst bat
- It's the death of a republic It's the death of a republic Our first president -- and founding father -- once said during his administration that "at best, government is a fearful master; at worst, it is a consuming fire." During the later 20th century, the number of defenseles
- Judicial system is out of whack
- LWV responds to letter The League of Women Voters — Ottumwa would like to respond to a recent letter to the editor. We will explain more about our forums that we co-host with the Chamber of Commerce every spring, specifically regarding the issue of asking Curt Hanson to
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