A 'Village' Makes a 'Family'

Marshalltown, Iowa

Workers at the Iowa Veterans Home recently had their 15 minutes of fame. Featured on the Fox Network's "Champions of Industry" series, the state-run facility earned the prestigious designation for innovative and exemplary practices in the health care field — an honor bestowed every year to five industries judged the best in the United States.

"Everybody has an important role — nurses, medical technicians, administrative clerks, housekeeping personnel, and the people who do the laundry and maintain our parks," says Dan Gammon, director of the 768-bed institution, which has provided professional care for Iowa's aging and chronically ill veterans since 1887. "This is an award for teamwork."

Lynne Pothast, president of Local 2984 (Council 61), agrees. "We help each other out," she says, referring to the cooperative relationship between management and three locals — hers, 3849 (nurses) and 3746 (housekeeping) — and management.

Adds Beth Davis-Fleming, who also belongs to Local 2984 and coordinates the mental health unit: "Here we care for the residents the way I would want to be cared for. It takes a village to make a family. And that's what we are — a village."