Medical Records

1200 North 7th Street, Chariton, Iowa 50049
Phone: (641) 774-3229 | Fax: (641) 774-3373

At LCHC, we understand your right to access, use, or share your private health information is important. Protecting your privacy is our top concern.

We work hard to keep your medical records accurate and complete, focusing on:

  • Coding and organizing medical records
  • Handling record processes
  • Retrieving and filing records
  • Managing correspondence

If you need your medical records, you should request them in writing, either by delivering the request for release of information in person or sending it via fax to our Health Information Department. Don’t forget to bring a photo ID when you come to get your records.

You can also access or ask for your medical records through our Patient Portal – MyUnityPoint.

Advanced Care Directives

A Living Will is a legal document that deals with end-of-life decisions. It lets a person express their wish to stop life-prolonging treatments when there’s no hope of getting better. On the other hand, a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care lets someone choose another person to make healthcare decisions for them. This choice might be limited to certain decisions about end-of-life care.

The person creating these documents must be at least 18 years old and mentally capable when they make them. But the documents only come into play if the person is not capable of making decisions when it’s time to use them.

With a Living Will, a person states that if they are confirmed to have a severe, terminal illness, or if they’re permanently unconscious according to two doctors, life support can be stopped. They can also choose to stop artificial feeding through a tube if they want.

A Health Care Power of Attorney gives the person making it the power to decide three things:

  1. Disconnect life support in case of terminal illness.
  2. Disconnect life support if they are in an irreversible coma.
  3. Stop artificial feeding through a tube.

This document also has a space where a person can share any specific wishes they have about their healthcare, like religious beliefs or preferences.

Both documents need to be signed in front of two witnesses and a notary public. The witnesses for a Living Will confirm that the person is at least 18 years old and signed it freely. They cannot be the person’s spouse, attending physician, heirs, or anyone who has claims against the person’s estate. For a Health Care Power of Attorney, the witnesses cannot be the chosen agent, the person themselves, spouse, or heirs.

People sometimes wonder why they need both a Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney. The Living Will is like a backup plan. If the person is in an irreversible coma and the healthcare agents chosen in the Health Care Power of Attorney can’t help, the Living Will tells the doctors what to do. If there’s ever a conflict between the two documents, the Health Care Power of Attorney takes precedence.

Copies of both the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and the Living Will are given to the person’s primary care doctor to be included in their medical records. Both documents can be canceled following standard revocation procedures.

Birth Certificate Requests

Hospitals do not retain copies of birth certificates. If you need a copy of your birth certificate or have questions about obtaining one, please reach out to the county recorder’s office where your birth occurred. Alternatively, you can contact Vital Records at the Iowa Department of Public Health. We’ve included the contact details for both options to make it easier for you.

Lucas County Recorder’s Office

916 Braden Avenue
Chariton, IA 50049
Phone: (641) 774-3229

OR

Iowa Department of Public Health

Vital Records
Birth Registration Program
Lucas State Office Building, 1st Floor
Des Moines, IA 50309-0075
Phone: (515) 281-4944
Online: http://www.vitalcheck.com

Request Forms

Click on links to save or print documents.