Health

Veterans Memorial Hospital has welcomed a new addition to its staff. Benji is a certified therapy dog that makes regular visits to the hospital and helps lift the spirits of the hospital’s patients and staff. Benji is owned and trained by Dannette Hermeier of Waukon, pictured above, who is also a registered nurse on the hospital’s staff. She brings Benji in to see specific patients such as small children, adults who are dog lovers and others who just need a morale boost. Benji works well to boost the morale of hospital staff as well. Not every animal can visit the hospital. Benji is a true certified therapy dog and has all papers on file at the hospital so he meets all criteria. Submitted photo.

The Waukon Indian volleyball players invite the community to “get their pink on” and join them  Tuesday, September 28 in wearing pink to their volleyball games. The teams have decided to support local breast cancer survivors by hosting this “pink out” night and wearing pink all in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

The Waukon Indians will be playing Decorah the evening of September 28. The freshman volleyball team will take the court at 5 p.m., the JV at 6 p.m. and varsity volleyball will begin at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the Waukon High School gym.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be on site with displays and free information on breast cancer awareness, detection and mammography.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is still experiencing a very limited supply of COVID-19 testing kits and asks that anyone experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms seek one of the following testing options:

More EMTs greatly needed in area

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions will be offering an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in Waukon through video conferencing broadcast from Calmar. This 138-hour course will begin Tuesday, October 5.

Areas of study include an introduction to emergency medical services systems, roles and responsibilities of EMTs, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and patient transportation.

Did you know one in seven people entering the hospital will need blood?

With the new local interest in donating blood, Veterans Memorial Hospital invites the community to attend the next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive to be held Monday, October 4, from 12-5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held once per month in Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The LifeServe Blood Center is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will sponsor a Babysitting Seminar Saturday, October 23 for a total of 40 students. This year, the class will be broken down into two different sessions to allow for better spacing of the students. The morning session will be held from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and the afternoon session from 1-4 p.m. The same information will be taught at both sessions, so students can sign up for one session or the other. A total of 20 students will be allowed in each session. Both will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering the next recertification course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMS, etc.) Thursday, September 30, beginning at 5 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital.

There is a small fee to attend and all registrants should bring along their own pocket mask, if they have one. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them as a BLS Healthcare Provider for a two year period.

Pre-registration plus a minimum of three participants is required for the class to be held. All participants will be required to physically distance during the class and wear a mask. They will also be screened at the hospital main entrance when they enter the building.

More EMTs greatly needed in area

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions will be offering an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in Waukon through video conferencing broadcast from Calmar. This 138-hour course will begin Tuesday, October 5.

Areas of study include an introduction to emergency medical services systems, roles and responsibilities of EMTs, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and patient transportation.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital together with Elliott Jewelers of Waukon will be hosting their 16th annual Women’s Health Day wellness event and luncheon Tuesday, September 28 at the Waukon Banquet Center. All ages are invited to attend any part of this educational event, beginning at 11 a.m. with a wellness fair offering a variety of free health tests and information, and a salad luncheon and program held from Noon to 1 p.m.  Due to COVID-19, attendees will be asked to wear masks at the event until they sit down for the meal and again when finished eating. Fewer vendors will be on site this year in order to more safely distance the tables with fewer attendees sitting at each table.

Currently, Veterans Memorial Hospital is experiencing a very limited supply of COVID-19 testing kits and asks that anyone experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms seek one of the following testing options:

• Test Iowa Kits are available free of charge at the main reception desk at Veterans Memorial Hospital. With these kits you collect your saliva and send the test in free of charge via UPS.  All instructions are clearly included in the kit with a phone number to call if you have any questions. There is currently just a 24 hour turn-around time for results. The Test Iowa Kits are available at the hospital from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekends and holidays.   
• Over the counter test kits can be purchased at all local pharmacies. These have immediate, rapid results; however this is an unverified form of testing and no work excuses can be given based on these results.