"She was so knowledgeable about nutrition and provided helpful insight on calorie counting," he said. "I measured, weighed and googled. It was crucial to log my food daily including everything I ate (also included logging weight, exercise, goals, etc.). During my weight loss, I would write on the log while I ate to make sure I captured everything, and it forced me to eat slower, giving my brain the extra time to catch up with my stomach and feeling full. One of the biggest factors that I learned in weight loss success is practicing portion control. This includes three meals per day with healthy servings of vegetables, fruits, proteins, starches and dairy. She also shared the importance of exercise/stretching, which isn't the end all to weight loss but helps."
Primary Care
Health Scene, Fall 2013: Learn more about selecting your primary care physician; Information on flu protection; Understanding blood pressure; Find out how you can win a free mammogram; and more.
Family Practice
Grant Regional Health Center is a progressive rural healthcare organization that consists of a hospital, three family practice clinics, and a specialty services clinic.
Emergency Care
Health Scene, Winter 2016–2017: Urgent care: Help when you need it; Problems below; Varicose veins: 3 key facts to know; Back on her feet; The skinny on screenings; Kid-tested, mom-approved; and more.
Colonoscopy
From my first visit I could tell he was compassionate and very knowledgeable. Turns out Dr. Perttu found ulcers during my colonoscopy and endoscopy. I appreciated Dr. Perttu doing both procedures the same day. I can tell you not many hospitals would do that.
Flu Shots
Winter 2020-21: 'Absolutely remarkable' care: Powerful protection: Understanding PPE; Is it safe to have surgery yet?; 4 steps to better joint health; Even during COVID-19, don't skip your child's shots; Flu shots are more important than ever; and more!
Electrocardiogram
Scott's EKG indicated something was wrong, but what for sure was still uncertain. Could be a heart attack; could be something else. When the blood work returned, they were quickly informed Scott was going to be flown to Madison. (Scott was one of the first patients last summer to experience a Med Flight takeoff from the alternate location on Roosevelt Street near Elite Fitness, due to GRHC's expansion project.) By 3 a.m., Shonda and their three children were on the way to Madison with wishes from GRHC staff to slow down and drive safely; Scott was in good hands, they reassured her. But Shonda was still filled with worry and her head was swimming with questions. Her father had open-heart surgery and a quadruple bypass just three years ago. Would Scott be the same? Would their children see their dad again? Would he be OK?
Urinary Incontinence
Health Scene, Fall 2014: Emergency? We're here when you need us; InTone: A solution for female urinary incontinence; Treating stroke—start to finish; Happily and healthy ever after!; and more.
Pneumonia
Immunizations
Grant Regional continued its remarkable response to the Covid-19 pandemic including ongoing large volumes of testing, care and treatment of outpatient, inpatient and emergency patients in addition to implementing vaccination clinics. 2020 was a year of constant challenge to adjust to the ongoing changes that the pandemic presented. Also in an effort to expand our capacity to care for patients in isolation, additional negative pressure capabilities were added to the Med/Surg unit.
“I remember coming home from the first eye surgery and noticing the difference. Vision in my left eye was gray and cloudy and the corrected eye was so bright and clear. Day and night difference. I couldn’t get over the change!” explained Tom. “After the second surgery, I went home and read about 100 pages in my book! I would encourage anyone to not wait, don’t put it off. There’s no down-time, no pain, just a small inconvenience to put eye drops in for a month, but that’s easy.”
Cataracts
In January of this year, Tom was referred to Dr. Tyler Risma and completed two successful cataract surgeries each a week apart. “Having surgery in Lancaster means less time traveling and was much more convenient for me and my wife,” explains Tom. “Dr. Risma and the surgical team at Grant Regional were exceptional. I really can’t describe how impressed I was with my entire experience.”
Cataract Surgery
Dropless cataract surgery is an exciting innovation in cataract surgery, now being offered by Dr. Tyler Risma, Opthamologist, at Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster.
Eye Exam
He learned about Fuerste Eye Clinic, located right in Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster and was excited to have local care close to home. After a comprehensive eye exam by Dr. Luke Ploessl of Fuerste Eye Clinic, Tom learned his vision had changed due to the onset of cataracts. He was borderline, but he told Dr. Ploessl he didn’t want to have to continue to “reset his scopes” when he went out West to shoot prairie dogs – so he was ready to take the next step to have cataract surgery.
We are proud to share that our Obstetrics Renovation project is complete! We launched the campaign in Fall 2019 with the goal of raising $500,000 to complete the updates which includes new equipment. In January, 2021, we surpassed our goal and raised over $510,000 for this project which is entirely funded through community donations and grant funds!
Pregnancy
Labor and Delivery
Karin Burr decided to have her first labor and delivery at Grant Regional Health Center primarily because of her care provider, Dr. Sheirlie Lamantia. Karin wasn't always so sure, and she and her husband, Josh, toured a hospital in Dubuque after finding out Karin might need a C-section due to the placement of the placenta.
Dr. Stormont specializes in urology issues for men and women. He has extensive expertise in urinary problems, issues related to prostate enlargement, low testosterone, and urologic cancers. More about Dr. Stormont
Endoscopy
Urinary Tract Infection
"I knew it was serious, but I didn't know the extent of how serious until after surgery. I was very nervous since I had never had surgery before. Dr. Sunby must have noticed how nervous I was. He was great about explaining what would be done during surgery and after. I just knew it had to be more than a UTI. I received exceptional care from the doctors and nurses. All the staff was very caring and friendly. They kept me informed of what they were doing throughout my hospital stay.
In June 2021, we welcomed Dr. Debasish Bhattacharyya, Comprehensive Neurology and Spine Care. His practice offers local Neurology and Spine Care including: disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system. Spine care includes treatment of neurological and pain disorder arising from disorders of the spine.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
"From the time we got to the hospital, everything happened so quickly. But I felt so relieved knowing that I was in excellent care. I trusted this group of familiar faces! Michelle Bainbridge was with me for my last delivery, and Scott did anesthesia for my carpal tunnel surgery. Not to mention that their father, Dave, was there for me through many visits, including: delivering my children, post-eclampsia, gallbladder surgery, knee surgery, colonoscopies and (believe it or not) got me to quit smoking!
Mental Health is something we all have and experience daily. It is a significant part of our overall health and well-being, and it's important to talk to someone if you are struggling.
“I’m very impressed with Dr. James. He really listened to me and didn’t shrug off my symptoms by telling me I “just needed to lose weight”. He seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to move ahead with bloodwork to get to the bottom of what was really going on. After an ultrasound, it was determined that I had diastolic dysfunction. From there, he suggested a stress test.
MRI
Our goal with this event is to provide an opportunity for community members and supporters to get together for a wonderful, celebratory evening, while supporting Grant Regional Health Center. This year, funds raised will support an MRI Breast Coil to allow MRI breast imaging, which is a limited service in this area.
Radiology
For as long as the hospital has been in existence so has the Auxiliary Gift Shop. The Auxiliary's support of the hospital is evident in its long-standing commitment with fundraising efforts and operation of the hospital gift shop. The Auxiliary Gift Shop is located next to the Radiology waiting area, not far from the Emergency Department. The gift shop features a wide array of unique gifts and home décor items. There will also be convenience items available for patients, visitors and staff of the hospital. The Gift Shop now accepts credit and debit cards. We also have gift certificates available.
X-Rays
Mammography
The MRI Breast Coil will allow our Radiology team to expand imaging capabilities of the breast to offer local, efficient, and more complete results and services, which will provide the highest quality care to our patients. This will also allow patients to stay close to home for care, rather than traveling outside of our area for service, that could potentially increase wait times. With continued efforts to enhance our breast care services such as 3D mammography, stereotactic biopsies, as well as our breast surgery options, we are proud to now offer all breast services including MRI Breast Coil locally.
Computed Tomography
To further search for answers, Dr. Perttu consulted with Grant Regional’s Neurologist, Dr. Debasish Bhattacharyya. “He spent nearly 45 minutes with my dad and my family,” explained Shelly. “He did a thorough assessment and gave us a potential diagnosis. He set up an alternate plan on how dad could get an MRI given the fact that he has a pacemaker. He took time to talk and answer all our questions. He ordered a CT scan and was able to find the abnormality that eventually led to the diagnosis - progressive supranuclear palsy. This discovery had been missed on multiple previous CTs at other healthcare facilities.”
Chemotherapy
Very soon after diagnosis I had surgery to have a port put in for receiving chemotherapy (which can be hard especially on smaller veins, a port allows so an IV doesn’t have to be put in each treatment). As soon as I healed from port surgery, I began chemotherapy treatments every 3 weeks (Sept - Dec), along with targeted drugs (administered by port and later IV) every 3 weeks (Sept 2018 – Sept 2019).
Radiation Therapy
Health Scene, Summer 2013: Four steps to a safer summer; Radiation therapy: How it works; Radiation oncology services now available; Five steps before you scale back; and more.
Grant Regional Health Center is proud to offer the region a comprehensive array of medical and surgical services. Not only did the hospital continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic throughout 2021, but the hospital also continued to grow and expand despite the pandemic and recruit additional primary and specialty providers as well expand programs and services. We take great pride in providing compassionate, quality care to Lancaster and our surrounding communities.
Orthopedics
Grant Regional Health Center is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital located in Lancaster, WI. We serve patients in Grant County, WI, and beyond. Throughout our facility we offer services such as: Lab, Radiology, Obstetrics, Orthopedics, Neurology/Spine Care, Urology, Otolaryngology (ENT), Surgical Care, Therapeutics, Rehabilitation, Outpatient Counseling, Inpatient Care, Swing Bed and many more. In we are proud to have clinics in Lancaster, Cassville, Potosi, and Fennimore (coming in 2023). Grant Regional offers exceptional, local care for you at any stage in your life.
Wound Care
Steve is grateful for the swing-bed program which is designed to provide patients with individualized, in-hospital care when they needed extended time to recover and recoup but no longer need acute care. Patients do need to qualify under Medicare and Wisconsin-mandated guidelines. Those who have had at least a three-day acute hospital stay can take advantage of the swing-bed program. Patients who benefit from this program are typically those who need rehabilitation to regain strength and mobility following a stroke, injury or surgery, such as joint replacement, or need IV therapy or complex wound care. Even if patients have surgery at another hospital out of town and aren't quite ready to return home, our swing-bed program allows patients to receive extended care here until they feel stronger.
Joint Replacement
Joint Replacement University was introduced in July. Dr. Ian Stormont achieved the UroLift Center of Excellence designation in October. He is the only physician in our region offering this revolutionary treatment for enlarged prostate.
Gangrene
"Later when the plastic surgeon at UW Hospital went back over the information, she told me how fortunate I was that I had such a diligent surgeon who had cleaned that out, because I had been mowing below my septic system and had three different kinds of stomach bacteria in my leg. There was a very good chance I could have ended up with gangrene that could have caused me to lose my leg or possibly even my life. The day after the accident, Dave Bainbridge came and sat with me in the hospital for at least an hour and shared stories about his kids and his family and reminded me just how lucky I was. I thanked him again for making me feel guilty enough to quit smoking 11 years ago and told him I wasn't making him any more pies because I found out he was diabetic.
Hysterectomy
I was going to see her before she was transferred, but at about 12:30 p.m. I started to mass hemorrhage, and I had to go in for my second surgery for a complete hysterectomy. Unfortunately, my previa developed into what is called an accreta, and my placenta had grown into my uterus, and without doing the hysterectomy I would continue to bleed. During this surgery I again lost a lot of blood. I had to have 12 units of blood plus platelets and plasma throughout that whole day. I had almost lost every ounce of blood in my body. I also at one point nearly went unresponsive.
Otolaryngology
Knee Replacement
Bob McKelvey of Lancaster had always heard great things about Grant Regional Health Center—that they provided compassionate, high quality care to our community. But it wasn't until he was on the receiving end of that care that he truly realized what a remarkable hospital we have. "I grew up in Lancaster and after living out of the area for over 40 years, I recently moved back to this community and am enjoying 'retirement,'" he said. "Before, I remember thinking it was best to receive medical care and be totally anonymous. Now I have discovered what a blessing it is to have hospital staff know you and truly care about your well-being. I have experienced it firsthand during my recent hospital stay following knee replacement surgery."
I still will have to take medication and still have regular follow up appointments with all the various departments including oncology, surgery, plastic surgery, radiation, and family physician but I feel like I’ll be able to truly shift my focus back to long term health and fitness rather than recovery and preparing for another surgery.
Breast Surgery
The MRI Breast Coil allows MRI breast imaging, which is a limited service in this area. This will allow our Radiology team to expand on their imaging capabilities of the breast to offer a more complete, local, efficient results and services, providing the highest quality care to our patients. This will also allow patients to stay close to home for care, rather than traveling outside of our area for service, and potentially increase wait times. With the continued efforts to our breast care with 3D mammography, stereotactic biopsies and our breast surgery options, this new service will result in all breast services to stay local.
A hospice suite was built in 1993, thanks to a large contribution from the hospital Auxiliary. In September that same year, Grant Regional Health Center acquired the Fennimore Clinic, located approximately 12 miles north, and in June 1995 the health center opened the Potosi-Tennyson Medical Clinic, located approximately 11 miles south. In 1994 new construction was added to the hospital to provide space for occupational health and sports medicine programs.
Physical Therapy
In 1973 another major expansion project took place—the building of a new south wing for administration. New departments and services, such as physical therapy and social services, were added.
Occupational Therapy
After one week Dennis transitioned to Swing Bed, a Medicare program that allows patients more time to recoup and recover. The Swing Bed program is designed to provide individualized, in-hospital care that involves a multidisciplinary team of physicians, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nursing, dietitian, pharmacy, and social worker – all working together to help patients regain strength and independence. At the start, he was unable to sit by himself and required a machine to assist him with everything. During the second week, he worked constantly with Rehab staff, getting up to 2 hours of therapy each day to improve his mobility.