Iowa Veterans Home Update

Executive Leadership & Structural Realignment

We are announcing a well-earned transition within our executive leadership team. Facilities Bureau Chief David Haines will be retiring on September 11, 2026, after nearly nine years of dedicated service to the Iowa Veterans Home and almost 30 years of total service to the State of Iowa. David’s steady leadership guided our campus through extraordinary challenges—including tornadoes, the Derecho, floods, a pandemic, and fires—while delivering major campus transformations, such as our beloved courtyard renovation.

Following David’s retirement, Safety Officer Josh Noble has been selected as the new Facility Management Bureau Chief. In tandem with this transition, the Safety Department is moving from Quality & Compliance into the Facility Management Bureau to streamline technical operations and centralize facility compliance. Recruitment for the Safety Officer position will open shortly on the DAS website. Additionally, Ira Anderson has advanced to the role of Plant Operations Manager 3 to continue managing our complex facility infrastructure.

Quality, Compliance & Clinical Programs

Development continues alongside the Department of Management on an agency-wide HIPAA framework tailored to the unique complexities of a long-term care facility. Preparations are also underway for our annual Facility Assessment, evaluating resident acuity alongside staffing, equipment, and contractor needs, while aligning key operational performance indicators for upcoming state reporting deadlines.

On the clinical front, infection control and quality teams are completing annual risk assessments and facility-wide audits. Recent staff education has focused on recognizing and preventing heat-related illnesses and managing seasonal conjunctivitis. To strengthen specialized care, designated GI isolation carts—identifiable by new purple accents—will roll out soon in partnership with Central Supply.

Staff are reminded that proper hand hygiene before and during meal service is a daily clinical mandate. Hands must be washed prior to service, resident hands must be cleansed, and bare-hand contact with food is strictly prohibited at all times.

Nursing Services, Staffing Metrics & Workforce Development

Our dedicated nursing team continues to make exceptional strides in operational stability. In July, missed shifts dropped to 312 across the entire facility, with only two forced mandates required due to last-minute call-ins.

Our community educational partnerships are also expanding! Every Friday in September (Sept 4, 11, 18, and 25) from 5:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Marshalltown Community College will bring 40 Practical Nursing students to our campus for a hands-on CNA Preceptorship Experience. Working alongside our Resident Treatment Workers across all three nursing buildings, these students will gain valuable clinical exposure. (Please note: preceptorship students are not authorized to operate resident mechanical lifts.)

In recognition of this vital workforce pipeline, the Iowa Veterans Home was recently awarded Marshalltown Community College’s MCC Ambassador of the Year Award for our staff’s role in teaching, mentoring, and testing the next generation of healthcare workers!

We also extend our gratitude to Nurse Educator Jennie Kephart, who will be departing IVH following the September CNA class. Registered Nurses with at least two years of experience who are interested in training our incoming CNA classes are encouraged to inquire about this upcoming opening. Finally, mark your calendars for September 22 as we host our annual DAISY Award presentation honoring our outstanding nursing staff.

Campus Infrastructure, Technology & Capital Projects

Capital improvements across campus continue to move forward efficiently:

• Malloy Building Roof Replacement: Roofing crews have completed and sealed the north side of the Malloy building. Work is now focused on ballast rock removal and demolition on the penthouse and south side.
• Loftus Building Water Mitigation: Water infiltration mitigation work temporarily shifted to address a broken underground collection pipe on the Malloy north side, resolving a historical source of water leakage.
• Kitchen Dishwasher Installation: Thanks to a strong collaborative effort between our maintenance crew, contractors, and dietary staff, the main floor dishwasher in the Malloy kitchen is fully installed, adjusted, and operational!
• IT & Clinical Software Modernization:
  • Pharmacy: Replacement of the legacy GeriMed platform with a PCC-integrated system featuring AI risk-flagging is awaiting final security clearance, with staff training targeted for October.
  • Transportation & Logistics: New PCC-integrated trip scheduling software is undergoing final security review prior to purchase order execution.
  • Radiology: Service agreements and engineering plans are being finalized ahead of digital X-ray equipment delivery in early November.
  • Dental Operations: Internal IT teams successfully remediated the core software issues impacting dental clinic operations, eliminating the need for a costly full software replacement.

Culinary Initiatives & Resident Activities

August brought a fantastic slate of dining and social events for our residents! Food Service hosted a highly popular State Fair-themed meal on August 13, serving 219 residents and staff in the cafeteria with classic fair favorites like hot beef sundaes, bacon-wrapped pork kabobs, fried cream cheese balls, and root beer floats. We also welcomed Jonathan Willfong to our management team as a Food Service Supervisor.

Clinical dietitians continue active oversight through monthly unit kitchenette audits, nourishment evaluations, and resident refrigerator safety checks. (Policy 155 is being updated within Clinical Policy to outline parameters for residents to maintain personal unit refrigerators.)

Looking ahead, September promises a full schedule of autumn activities:

• Sept 3: Legion Fishing Trip to Union Grove (9:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
• Sept 8: American Legion Auxiliary Ladies Social (2:00 PM, MLRC)
• Sept 9: Summer Concert Series: Katie & the Honky Tonks (6:00 PM, Courtyard/MLRC)
• Sept 11: 9/11 25th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony featuring the Iowa National Guard Band and guest speaker LTG Ron Dardis (1:30 PM, MLRC). The REAL Committee will serve walking tacos ($5) from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, and the Cyclone Battalion ROTC will visit at 10:30 AM (wear your favorite team colors!). In the evening, residents will head to the 13th Street Harvest Market.
• Sept 14: Elks Ice Cream Social (11:00 AM – 1:30 PM, ATHA)
• Sept 15: Omelet Themed Breakfast (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM, ATHA)
• Sept 16: Summer Concert Series: Exit 185 (6:00 PM, Courtyard/MLRC)
• Sept 17: Annual Volunteer Advisory Committee Meeting (10:00 AM, Kopper Kettle)
• Sept 20: Off-Highway Vehicle Rides for residents (8:00 AM – 11:30 AM)
• Sept 25–26: 40th Annual Oktemberfest (Car show trip on Friday evening; Parade on Saturday at 10:00 AM)
• Sept 28: IVH Foodie Club (10:00 AM, Kopper Kettle)
• Sept 30: 2nd Annual IVH Casino Night (4:30 PM – 6:30 PM, MLRC)
• NFL Sundays: Thanks to a generous donation from the American Legion Auxiliary Dept. of Iowa, residents will enjoy the NFL Sunday Ticket with game screenings and snacks every Sunday throughout football season!

Community Support & Fiscal Operations

We extend our sincere thanks to the dozens of veterans organizations, business associations, and private donors who contributed $17,896.50 in financial gifts, bingo prizes, recreational equipment, and resident birthday cards during the month of August!

On the financial front, our team completed another successful fiscal year-end, submitting the state GAAP package on September 4. We are also celebrating major census growth: August saw a 2026 record-high for new admissions, welcoming 13 new residents and bringing our campus census rate up to 93%!

In staffing news, Susan Heldenbrand has been promoted to Procurement Specialist 1 in Purchasing, effective September 11. Purchasing and Budget offices will also relocate to Loftus 1 North in the coming weeks. Finally, we congratulate Cindy Egleston on her retirement after 15 years of dedicated service to IVH! Openings for an Accounting Tech 2 (Resident Finance) and Accounting Clerk 2 (Census) will be posted shortly.