Tag Archives: chiropractic

Bringing Health and Wellness to DeWitt

I want to say thank you for such a warm welcome to the community! My Vital Force Wellness Center opened our doors in downtown DeWitt in April and we have had such a good time getting everything up and running.

I am Dr. Kari Rene, a Holistic Naturopath, moved here from Colorado. I have had a vision to have a wellness center that offers several services and products that help people on their wellness journey. My daughter, Emily also moved here from Colorado to finish her Health Coaching and to be the store manager. When we came to Iowa and started looking for a location, we loved the feel of DeWitt and the community right away.

My story began in Natural Health Alternatives back in 2002 when my mother passed away from a massive heart attack when she was only 49 years old. I knew my family history of heart disease was not good. My maternal grandfather had passed at age 37 from a heart attack, my father had a heart attack, and my paternal grandfather had several heart attacks and bypass surgeries.  I quickly realized I wanted to do something different for my health and didn’t want my children to experience losing a parent so young. So, I went back to school and that lead into a passion to encourage and teach others to become healthier too. Health is a journey we all have to start somewhere!

Health and wellness are becoming more and more popular these days. So many people are tired of being sick and tired! As individuals and as a community we want to be healthier and have more vitality. Many people are learning that preventative health care is something they want to learn more about, and that there are more natural approaches to taking care of our health.

At My Vital Force Wellness Center I do consultations and health assessments to help people create a plan for better health. I also love to do consultations for stress management and emotional healing. I love talking about ways that we can Regain and Retain Health.  

Dr. Bonnie Bauer of DeWitt Chiropractic and massage therapist Teresa Martens of The Country LMT learned about my vision of opening the Wellness Center and it was no doubt they wanted to bring their collective knowledge and practices together for the community at the Wellness Center. Together we have numerous therapies and wellness packages available to help people become healthier.

Come by to see the new Wellness Center, ask questions and look around. Everyone here at the Wellness Center is honored to be part of our wonderful community and we look forward to better health for everyone!

Dr. Kari Rene, Holistic Naturopath

Changing Needs, Consistently Great Care!

Different families consider different amenities important when they are relocating to a new community. For some, it may be recreational sports; for others, proximity of fine arts opportunities; and for still others, access to churches, a library or a movie theater.  When my husband and I chose DeWitt in 1972, it was a pleasant little town of about 4,000 residents, with friendly people and all the necessities we desired — including excellent schools and a hospital just down the street.

In those early days, with three children then kindergarten-age and younger, we did not know how often we would remind each other of the importance of having a hospital close by. The first week we were here, our 3-year-old developed an earache, and I packed up the morning kindergartner and the newborn to spend what I expected would be the whole afternoon at the doctor’s office with a feverish, whiney toddler and his siblings.  After all, we were new and did not know a soul to ask a babysitting favor, let alone did we have a family doctor.

The kindly receptionist “worked us in” and soon our son was on the road to recovery, and my sanity was preserved. There were many other occasions when our family was able to be seen on short notice, and we always appreciated being able to fill prescriptions or have lab tests done right here in DeWitt.

For a time, we were frequent flyers in the emergency room and on a first-name basis with the x-ray tech as our well-rounded children tested their super powers. I learned to take stitches and casts in stride and became adept at wrapping appendages in bread bags so they would not get wet in the shower. Again, it was great to have our hospital just down the street.

I delivered Baby No. 4 at DeWitt Community Hospital. it was, by far, the best birthing experience of the four, made special because by that time, I had gotten acquainted in the community and knew some of the nurses and aides who cared for us.

When my husband developed complications from a blood clot after open heart surgery at another hospital, the local staff took special care of him until it finally became apparent he needed to be moved back to the larger facility to receive more extensive care. But the TLC he — and I — received is something I never will forget.

Fast forward 34 years, and I again was hospitalized just last fall in DeWitt — this time for double pneumonia. While it was not pleasant being ill, I received the best of care from friendly, caring staff who are very good at what they do and who did everything they could to make me comfortable. From the environmental services staff to the kitchen crew to nurses, aides and special technicians who monitored my health, I absolutely felt I was in the best hands.

Need a mammogram, blood work, a colonoscopy, cataract surgery or other procedure done? Chances are it can be done in DeWitt. But healthcare does not happen just at the hospital and doctor’s clinics. Patients seeking competent, friendly practitioners at dental, optometry and chiropractic offices, in physical therapy gyms and massage therapy salons will find them here as well.

Assisted living services are available at Maggie’s House, and the community is blessed to have several senior living complexes that cater to those who still live independently. And when skilled nursing care is indicated, Westwing Place is among the best in the country. My grandmother was a resident there for 22 years — until the ripe old age of 103 — a milestone I attribute to the wonderful care she received.

Yes, quality health care is abundant in DeWitt. I cannot imagine raising a family in a town without a hospital or other medical services that are not only convenient and easily accessible but also top-notch.

In the scheme of what really is important, amenities such as  an aquatic park, a country club, a fitness center, and biking and walking trails go hand-in-hand with with medical providers to assure DeWitt Delivers health and wellness!

Mary Rueter – DeWitt Resident

The 5 Healthy Habits of DeWitt Health Care

People in DeWitt have more convenience and less travel to be able to experience high-standards in health care then ever before. Here are five habits of their success.

  1. Be loyal to the cause. It’s no coincidence in 2014 and 2015, Genesis Medical Center – DeWitt was named “Top 20 Hospitals for Quality of Care” by the National Rural Health Association. The quality of care comes from a combination of cutting edge equipment, elite specialists and outstanding in-patient, out-patient and emergency care. They have made it a habit to provide high quality and compassionate care to the DeWitt area since 1952. Other health leaders like DeWitt Dental Associates, Hill Chiropractic, DeWitt Eyecare Clinic, and GMC-DeWitt have served DeWitt for over 35 years.
  1. Try something different. For those who do not seek traditional healthcare, there are five practices in DeWitt which offer chiropractic care and homeopathy options. For example, Stress Solutions Unlimited uses cutting edge light and sound technology such as light bed therapy and ION cleanse to assist their clients. They also offer nutrition education, brain-based and natural healing therapies.
  1. Building strength. There are three physical rehabilitation centers in town, as well as four massage therapy centers. Booked days in advance, these places offer rebuilding and rejuvenation of health through aquatic, neurological rehab, sports performance, hand and orthopedic therapies to name a few. The two fitness centers also do their share of strength training. For the ninth year in a row, starting on January 25th, the DeWitt Fitness Center offers a 10-week Get Fit DeWitt wellness program which encourages individuals to form teams to achieve weight loss goals.
  1. Call on the Experts. In certain cases, when a surgery or specialized procedure is not offered locally, healthcare professionals easily guide clients to trusted associations to ensure the best care. DeWitt Eyecare Clinic provides this for eye surgery patients. DeWitt Dental Associates coordinates specialized surgeries for their clients. And DeWitt Family Health Clinic and Genesis Health Group match mothers-to-be with top area birthing centers.  All are committed to providing services locally, but will always meet the needs of the patient first and foremost. Before and after surgery care is always available as it best meets the needs of the patient.
  1. Options, options, options. DeWitt is home to a variety of reliable options for health care, including two family practice clinics, two elderly care facilities, three physical rehabilitation centers, two dental offices, five chiropractic practices, two eyecare clinics, a locally owned pharmacy and four massage therapy centers. Even three veterinarian clinics for your four-legged or winged friends’ healthcare. And additional options continue to open their doors. DeWitt Delivers Health Care!