Health

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors. This program will be held Monday, September 20 from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“Welcome to Medicare” will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance.

SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, is a service of the State of Iowa. Local SHIIP counselor Russ Hagen is trained by the State and does not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents. New volunteer Nancy Schoh  is now also available for SHIIP counseling at Veterans Memorial Hospital, which is a local sponsor for SHIIP in Allamakee County.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Allamakee County Public Health Office is receiving numerous phone calls requesting a booster, or third dose, of the COVID-19 vaccine. At this time, only those being treated for cancer or who have a transplant history or an immunosuppressive disorder may be due for a booster. Allamakee County Public Health asks that everyone else hold their phone calls at this time and they will announce when the dose is available and the order in which it will be given.

Last week Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon rolled out the new patient portal, called My Care Corner. Patient portals allow patients online, easy access to their personal medical record. The hospital emailed out a notification to all patients directing them to register on this new app.

Patients are instructed to click on the register link, then hit continue to create a new account or log in with current patient portal credentials, if the patient has already set an account up.

Anyone having difficulty with this new program is advised to create a new account in the My Care Corner application. All previous data will transfer into this new patient portal.

Anyone who may need assistance with their account is encouraged to call Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411.

Many Iowans have received their COVID-19 vaccinations outside of the state and are not on the State’s registry as having received that vaccine. This includes snowbirds that may have received their vaccine down south this last winter and anyone else who received their vaccine in larger medical facilities in La Crosse, WI, Rochester, MN, Iowa City, etc., or even in the Veterans Administration medical system.

Allamakee County Public Health officials are asking all those who did not receive their COVID-19 vaccine in Iowa to call them so they can register this vaccination with the State of Iowa. Call Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Public Health at 563-568-5660 for more information to get out-of-state COVID vaccinations registered with Iowa’s Immunization Registry Information System (IRIS).
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Allamakee County Public Health Office is receiving numerous phone calls requesting a booster, or third dose, of the COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health is requesting everyone hold their calls since it is not yet available here locally.

This third booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is still subject to authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommendation by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The FDA is conducting an independent evaluation to determine the safety and effectiveness of a booster dose of the COVID vaccine. The ACIP will decide whether to issue a booster dose recommendation based on a thorough review of the evidence.

Since Veterans Memorial Hospital is a health care facility, the CDC does require that masks are still required to be worn by every patient and visitor to the hospital. Pictured above is a number of hospital staff who can still be found wearing masks around the facilities. Masks are extremely effective against the COVID-19 virus and should be worn by everyone not vaccinated at all other locations that are non-health care related. Call Allamakee County Public Health at 563-568-5660 to schedule a vaccination. Submitted photo.

The “Get Your Walk On In Waukon” annual family fun walk and 5K was held Saturday, August 21 in conjunction with the Waukon Corn Days celebration. The event offered not only a 5K route but also a shorter walking route of 1.5 miles. The near 75 participants took advantage of both of these options.

Again this year, the event sported a costume contest that was open to all adults and youth entering the event. Some of these creative costumes are pictured below. Prizes were given to all costume participants.  All participants received complimentary hospital goodies bags. Free diabetes/blood sugar tests were also offered.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon was made aware last week that a few people in the community had received a phone call, from a hospital phone number, stating they are selling emergency devices for the hospital.

The hospital would like to alert the public that they are in no way involved with any type of sales such as this. This is a scam. All calls made from Veterans Memorial Hospital actually show as “Unknown” on a caller ID system.

For any questions on any phone calls that have been suspiciously received from the hospital, feel free to call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411 for more information.

The members of the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital are actively recruiting new and returning members to join them during their annual membership drive.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital is devoted to providing the hospital and its patients and visitors with many services. The Auxiliary also holds annual fundraisers, such as the Women’s Health Day Luncheon each fall, the Pillow-Perk and the Masquerade sales each October and their annual membership drive each July. All the money the Auxiliary receives goes back to the hospital for equipment.

Does anyone know just how much blood is needed by certain patients? Here are some facts from the LifeServe Blood Center:

• Cancer patients can use up to eight units of blood a month.
• Bone Marrow Transplant patients can use up to two units a day.
• Cardiovascular Surgery patients can use between two and 25 units.
• Liver Transplant patients can use up to 100 units.
• Auto/Trauma Accident patients can use between five and 100 units.
• Premature infants can use up between one and four units.
• Burn victims case use up to 20 units of platelets.
• Heart surgery patients can use up to between three and eight units of red cells and between one and 10 units of platelets.
• Organ transplant patients can use 10-30 units of blood.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, September 2 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The blood drive will be held at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.