Buena Vista counselor honored for helping 850 Medicare clients

Kathryn McKinley of Buena Vista Regional Medical Center was honored with a Governor’s Volunteer Award after spending more than 1,216 hours since 2021 helping 850 people navigate Medicare choices, plan comparisons and other health coverage questions. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the awardees at a ceremony Tuesday at the Urbandale High School Performing Arts Center, and McKinley also received a five-year service award from the Senior Health Insurance Information Program and Senior Medicare Patrol.

The recognition puts a spotlight on work that often happens quietly, one appointment at a time, for older adults, family members and caregivers in Buena Vista County. McKinley’s counseling through SHIIP-SMP gives residents a local place to sort through coverage options, understand what Medicare does and does not pay for, and avoid mistakes that can lead to higher costs or confusion later.

That kind of help matters in a county where people often want answers from someone they know and trust. McKinley’s role has been especially valuable because she offers unbiased guidance, not sales pitches, when families are comparing plans or trying to make sense of the system’s many moving parts. For many households, that can mean the difference between choosing a plan that fits their needs and ending up with gaps they did not expect.

Kristin Griffith, the SHIIP-SMP director, and Danielle Schlenger, BVRMC’s education and resource coordinator, both pointed to McKinley’s steady, trusted service and the difference it has made for hundreds of families. Their praise reflected a broader point about volunteer work that is easy to overlook: the most useful help is not always the most visible, and in health care, clear guidance can save time, money and stress.

Volunteer Iowa coordinates the Governor’s Volunteer Award program as a state-level way to recognize service by volunteers working with nonprofits, charitable organizations and government entities. For Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, McKinley’s award also underscores a larger part of the hospital’s role in the county, extending beyond treatment rooms and clinics into the everyday work of helping residents understand complex systems before a costly mistake is made.