Nurse Practitioners Add new Dimension of Care at Mahaska Health Partnership

Mahaska Health Partnership

MAHASKA COUNTY – Mahaska Health Partnership Specialty Services employs nurse practitioners to help maintain the health and well-being of the community.

“Nurse Practitioners are a wonderful enhancement that helps increase access to primary care services for our community,” MHP Chief Medical Officer Matt Whitis, MD said.

According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, professionals in this field are advanced practice nurses who provide high-quality healthcare services similar to those of a physician. “Nurse Practitioners (NPs) diagnose and treat a wide range of health problems,” Whitis explained. “They meet patients’ primary care needs by performing physicals, providing diagnoses, ordering tests and treatments as well as providing valuable education for patients and families.”

In order to be certified as a Nurse Practitioner (NP), professionals must graduate from an advanced practice master’s program and complete formal advanced practice education in a clinical setting. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners explained that NPs deliver a unique blend of nursing and medical care.

According to MHP Family Nurse Practitioner Tina Main, ARNP, nurses take a holistic approach to treatment. “By nature, nurses focus on the whole person when providing treatment and education. Similar to family practice physicians, we take a person’s health history, personal situation and lifestyle choices into consideration when making decisions about his or her plan of care.”

Main joined the MHP medical staff in April 2011. She practices fulltime on the MHP campus in Oskaloosa and also offers a Walk-In Clinic Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8:30 am. “NPs have added a new dimension to our abilities to make healthcare personal at MHP by being available when it’s most convenient for patients,” Whitis stressed.

In addition to Main’s early morning hours, Adult Nurse Practitioner Lisa Nelson offers evening hours. She also practices fulltime in Specialty Services on the MHP campus and is available Monday and Wednesday from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Family Nurse Practitioner Melissa Lamb, ARNP, practices fulltime at MHP’s satellite clinic, New Sharon Medical Center, and is available each morning at 7:30 am.

“Providing options for our patients regarding the type of care they receive and the time of day they receive it are ways MHP is working to meet the healthcare needs of our community,” Whitis said.

For more information about ways Mahaska Health Partnership is making healthcare personal, visit mahaskahealth.org.