Health

With the onset of summer heat, the Iowa Department of Public Health advises every one to take measures to prevent heat stress.
Serious health complications from heat include exhaustion, stroke and dehydration.
Heat exhaustion occurs when sweating, the body’s cooling system, fails to eliminate heat fast enough. The first signs of heat exhaustion are faintness, rapid pulse, flushing or reddening of the skin, and often accompanied by stomachache or headache. When heat exhaustion symptoms occur, stop all activity and drink liquids such as water or re-hydrating fluids (Gatorade, Powerade, or for children, Pedialyte). Do not drink alcohol, coffee, or caffeinated soft drinks. If possible, take a cool shower.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering a variety of free health tests and education at the 2015 Allamakee County Fair.  Testing and educational materials will change daily by the following schedule:
Wednesday, July 15:  6-10 p.m. - Massages by certified massage therapist Edna Wyninger.
Thursday, July 16, 4-8 p.m. - Free blood sugar and diabetes testing by Teresa Myers, R.N., Certified Diabetes Educator.
Friday, July 17, 4-8 p.m. - Fine Motor Skill Testing and Obstacle Course by the Rehab Department at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
Saturday, July 18, 4-8 p.m. - Free cholesterol testing by Machelle Bulman, R.N., Education Coordinator.
Sunday, July 19, 12 noon - 4 p.m. -Free blood pressure checks by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Nurses.  
Veterans Memorial Hospital will also be offering a hand washing challenge to all adults and children attending the fair.  Participation prizes will be awarded.
 

 The 22nd annual Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation Golf Tournament was held Monday, June 29, one week later than scheduled due to inclement weather, at the Waukon Golf and Country Club. Twenty-four teams of three participated in this tournament. Each team enjoyed 18 holes of golf plus lunch and dinner prepared by Rich Schulte, Marge and Bud Strike, and the Foundation Directors.
The 24 teams participating in the tournament consisted of three people each who played a best-shot tournament. The winner of the tournament with a score of 63 was “Burk’s Bunch” consisting of Wayne Burk, Russ Young and Duane Vorseth.
The Foundation gives credit for the success of this tournament to the many local businesses that provide prizes so everyone participating wins. Many businesses serving the area contribute as hole sponsors to the tournament as well.            

 Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering a variety of free health tests and education at the 2015 Allamakee County Fair being held in Waukon. Testing and educational materials will change daily, according to the following schedule:
• Wednesday, July 15:  6-10 p.m. - Massages by certified massage therapist, Edna Wyninger.
• Thursday, July 16: 4-7 p.m. - Free blood sugar and diabetes testing by Teresa Myers, R.N., Certified Diabetes Educator.
• Friday, July 17, 4-8 p.m. - Fine Motor Skill Testing and Obstacle Course by the Rehab Department at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
• Saturday, July 18, 4-8 p.m. - Free cholesterol testing by Machelle Bulman, R.N., Education Coordinator.
• Sunday, July 19, 12-4 p.m. - Free blood pressure checks by Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Nurses.

by Sheryl Darling Mooney, RN, Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care

Veterans Memorial Hospital hosted its semi-annual Safety Day Camp Thursday, June 11 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds in Waukon. This day camp drew a large crowd of 125 children ages seven to 14 from throughout Allamakee and Clayton counties for a day-long session on how to take responsibility for their own safety, respect parents’ safety rules and share safety tips with their family and friends.
According to Jeff Mitchell, EMS Coordinator at Veterans Memorials Hospital and coordinator of this event, the camp was a huge success. “All of the children that attended really listened and watched all of the demonstrations and speakers at the event. We told them to remember all of the safety lessons they learned and follow them. We even told them to help teach others the safety rules they learned today, including their parents and siblings.”

from the American Cancer Society

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s 22nd annual Three Person Best-Shot Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 22 at the Waukon Golf and Country Club beginning with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.
Thanks to Wade Bucknell and Andy Moore, agents of Farm Bureau Financial Services, Waukon, the first person to hit a hole in one during the first round at the tournament will win a new Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Also, thanks to Waukon Implement, anyone hitting a hole in one during the second round of the tournament will win a new John Deere riding lawn mower. As always, many other gifts and prizes will be awarded to all the golfers participating.
Teams of three will play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch and dinner and prizes for everyone are all provided. All those interested are asked to pre-register their team by calling the Waukon Golf and Country Club at 563-568-9939.

Parents can do more to ensure that accidents don’t become a part of their children’s childhood memories.  One way to start is by having 6 to 14 year-old children attend the Veterans Memorial Hospital Safety Day Camp to be held Thursday, June 11 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The day camp is designed to increase children’s awareness of a wide variety of safety and farm hazards, as well as providing them with hands-on first aid training to help themselves or someone else survive an accident should one occur.

Individual topics covered at this year’s safety camp will include the following:
• ATV and motorcycle safety
• Farm equipment safety
• Grain bin safety
• Electrical safety
• Lawnmower, chainsaw and pinch point safety
• Internet and social networking safety
• First aid
• Healthy food and food safety
• Large and small animal safety
• Bike rodeo.

 The 18th annual Family Wellness Fair was held Wednesday, May 13 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Over 425 individuals attended the wellness fair and enjoyed all the information and activities provided by over 45 agencies and businesses that serve Allamakee and northern Clayton counties.