End of an Internship

The end of August brings new beginnings for many of us. With the school year just around the corner, young adults are preparing to start their college journeys, football season is gearing up across Iowa, and some are even starting to decorate for fall. But along with these changes, the end of August also marks the conclusion of Greater Regional Health’s 2025 summer Public Relations and Marketing internship program.

While Greater Regional Health is known for providing high-quality healthcare and a wide range of services, there’s so much more happening beyond our departments. Our team can often be found representing the hospital at community events like the Greater 8 and 5K races or Union County Kids Day. We’re proud to support local schools whether it’s through Breast Cancer Awareness merchandise or by offering Athletic Physical Therapy during school activities. These contributions are just a glimpse into the work of the Public Relations and Marketing team.

The summer PR internship program is a one-of-a-kind opportunity, not just in Union County, but in the surrounding areas as well. Its mission goes beyond simply completing projects in-house rather than outsourcing them; it’s about providing students with real-world experience. Interns don’t just learn administrative support and customer service but gain firsthand knowledge in their field of study, build networking skills, and tap into their creativity through hands-on projects.

Launched in 2023, the program has already seen great success. Interns have come from nearby communities and even from Iowa State University. One former intern went on to join the Graphic Design team for the Chicago Bears! Though the internship lasts only two to three months, it equips students with valuable tools, confidence in facing unfamiliar tasks, and the chance to discover their personal strengths and creative style, skills to carry into the next chapter.

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Spotlight for our 2025 Interns!

Aleah Calvin is a local from right here in Creston, Iowa. She will be graduating from Iowa State University in December with her bachelor’s degree, majoring in Health Care Management. Aleah found this position while searching for an internship related to her major and has always dreamed of working in a hospital setting. She loved that it was close to home and had always hoped to work at a hospital like Greater Regional.

This is Miss Calvin’s second year in the position, and she says the opportunity has helped her learn how to communicate effectively in both on- and off-campus settings. Her favorite memory from the internship is working Kids Day at the Union County Fair and seeing how excited the kids were about the activities offered. After graduation she plans to return to Creston to work due to her love of the small-town community!

Chloe Timmons is from Murray, Iowa, where she graduated high school in 2023. She currently attends Northwest Missouri State University and is set to graduate in May of 2026 with her Bachelor of Science in Social Media Management through the School of Communication and Mass M

edia. Chloe applied to Greater Regional Health because she wanted to gain experience in the healthcare side of communications and media. She had positive experiences with Greater Regional in the past and wanted to join the team to stay local.

Her favorite memory was the opportunity to plan and host a headshot event for GRH employees in June. Miss Timmons loved the experience of photographing more than 50 employees. She feels satisfied not only with having helped update badges and headshots, but also to serve the employees in this way. She also had the chance to photograph the facilities for marketing use.

After graduation, she plans to move back home to Southern Iowa and continue her photography business. She hopes to find a job that allows her to document the agricultural lifestyle through multimedia services and communications.

Lily Day is from Greenfield, Iowa, and is currently enrolled at Iowa State University in the Graphic Design program with a minor in Digital Media. Miss Day shared that she was drawn to this position because it offered real-life experience within her field of study. She also values the fact that Greater Regional Health has strong ties to her home and is a local organization.

Lily found great value in her experience working under Kelsey Buck, the Marketing Specialist and a seasoned graphic designer. She is proud of the work she completed within the hospital and says she learned a lot about the hospital’s identity and the importance of consistent branding across graphics, brochures, business cards, and other marketing materials.

She plans to continue her education at Iowa State this fall while also building her photography career.

Averie Eckels is from Afton, Iowa, and graduated from East Union Community Schools in 2023. I am currently attending the University of Iowa, double majoring in Social Work and Education Studies & Human Relations. This position caught my attention not only because Greater Regional Health is a local organization, but also because of the lasting ties and impact GRH has had on me throughout my life.

This role gave me the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of hospital life, which is the setting I hope to work in. It also helped me understand the importance of community involvement. One of my favorite parts of this experience was preparing for and running community events. Through this, I not only got to contribute to the community but also gained a deeper understanding of Greater Regional Health.

Thanks to this position I can fully appreciate the significance of departments like patient access, financial counseling, and other support services. These are lessons I will carry with me as I move forward in my career in Social Work after graduating in the spring of 2027.

Author’s Note by Averie Eckels

Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to experience communities with strong connections to their hospitals. This has been true both here in Union County with Greater Regional Health and in Iowa City with the University Hospitals and the Stead Family Children's Hospital. Reflecting on these experiences, I realized that the way a hospital engages with its community can greatly influence how people view health and wellness.

During my time here, I worked on projects that helped connect individuals to important resources and showed me how essential public health is to quality of life. I came to understand that for a hospital to truly meet the needs of its community, it must reach out, listen, and provide services that are both accessible and well-communicated.

Some of my favorite memories from this internship were the public events we organized as a team. From golf outings to 5Ks, I had the chance to see how a supportive and involved hospital environment can make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of the community.

That is why the mission of Greater Regional Health, and its rural clinics, means so much to me. This organization serves not only the people of Union County, but also those in Ringgold, Adair, Taylor, and Adams counties, making a meaningful impact across the region. I am truly grateful for the opportunity this position has given me throughout the summer. For anyone considering this path, I highly encourage you to apply for this internship in the upcoming year. It is an experience that offers both personal growth and a deeper understanding of what it means to serve your community.

Special thanks to the full-time PR and Marketing team for creating such a welcoming, informative environment!