Health

This Thursday, January 25, is National IV/Infusion Nurse Day. Pictured above is Pat Daigle, RN, Infusion Nurse at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the hospital’s Infusion Room. Infusion treatments, also called IV Therapy, have become a popular option at the hospital. These services are offered close to home in a well-organized, clean and comfortable environment to save patients and their family members time and energy. Some examples of the services offered include IV antibiotic therapy, IV anti-inflammatory and steroid therapy, blood transfusions, iron therapy, hydration and electrolyte replacement, medication injections, pain management, immunoglobin treatments, port and PICC line care, and more. The hospital encourages everyone to ask their provider to have their IV/Infusion therapy at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, convenient and close to home. Submitted photo.
 

Alzheimer’s disease is expected to impact nearly 13 million Americans by 2050, including 66,000 Iowans today, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. So, while contemplating New Year’s resolutions for 2024, consider taking steps to maintain and improve cognitive function.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that what is good for the heart is good for the brain. Research has shown lifestyle changes like improving diet and exercising regularly have helped drive down death rates from cancer, heart disease and other major diseases. These same lifestyle changes may also reduce or slow the risk of cognitive decline, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Keeping brains healthy is not something to be worried about only as a person gets older. It should be a lifelong effort.

According to the Association for Blood Donor Professionals, every two seconds in America, someone urgently needs blood. This need extends beyond unexpected emergencies like car crashes, encompassing a wide range of treatments such as cancer therapies, cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, and organ and bone marrow transplants.

Only three percent of eligible Americans currently donate blood, despite 65 percent of the population being eligible to do so. Additionally, less than 20 percent of blood donations come from individuals in communities of color, and donations from individuals aged 19-24 have declined by nearly 32 percent from 2019 to 2021. This drop is largely attributed to restrictions imposed on blood drives at school campuses during the peak of COVID-19. Given the current state of blood donations, there is an urgent need for younger, more diverse donors.

Maternity Services remains a strong option for anyone expecting and wanting to deliver their child close to home, being cared for by family and friends.  For over 73 years, the hospital staff has been welcoming babies into the world and continues to offer these local services in the hospital’s Birthing Center.

Dr. Dave Schwartz, Halie Ruff, Nurse Practitioner, and Katy Maker, Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner, make up the Maternity Services Team at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Medical Clinics. Both Dr. Schwartz and Halie see maternity patients in the Waukon Clinic building, and Katy Maker sees patients in both Waukon and Postville. They follow moms all the way through their pregnancy and post-partum care with Dr. Schwartz or Katy Maker assisting with the delivery.

January is Radon Awareness Month in Iowa. Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that causes no immediate health symptoms, but long-term exposures can cause lung cancer. It comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil. Simple test kits can reveal the amount of radon in any building.

All of Iowa is considered to have unsafe levels of radon, however, Allamakee County is prone to have even higher numbers due to the fractured bedrock and karst topography under our feet. Fractures in the bedrock create small cracks and fissures that allow radon to move easier through the stone and soils and make entry into homes.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, January 18 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in the VMH Large Conference Room on the hospital’s lower level.

This month, Brandy Strub, Veterans Memorial Hospital registered dietitian, will join facilitator Angie Mettille in presenting the topic of food and discussing the foods that are advertised as healthy, but in fact are not. They will explain the types of foods that should be avoided and what some better alternatives would be.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes. In case of inclement weather, the group will cancel if Allamakee Community Schools are closed or starting late. Attendees are encouraged to stay home if they feel sidewalks or roads are too slippery to go out and stay safe.

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, January 16 at 5 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. This meeting was rescheduled to this date, which is one week later than normal, due to inclement weather last week.

This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss, whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief.

Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This grief support meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Medical Clinic in Waukon is now offering extended hours every Monday through Thursday evening until 7 p.m. to offer better access for parents and students following the work and/or school day.

Patients are now welcome to walk-in to the clinic between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. any Monday through Thursday evening, without an appointment.  This walk-in clinic is available for acute, non-emergent needs such as the following: broken bones (other than hips or femurs), cough/cold, diarrhea, ear aches, fever, flu, minor burns, minor cuts, muscle strain, pink eye, rash/hives, removal of foreign body, sinus infection, skin infection, sore throat, urinary tract infection and vomiting.

The “C.H.A.D.” labels, pictured with this article, are available for labeling of infant and child car seats. These complimentary labels can be found at the front desk of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH), the Waukon Clinic and the Postville Clinic, for anyone to take to label their car seats.

This safety seat identification program was developed as a result of a traffic crash involving a 13-month-old-boy named Chad. The babysitter who was driving in this accident was killed. Chad was injured, but no one at the scene could identify him.

So, to ensure rapid identification of a child in the case of an emergency such as described above, the Travelers Protective Association is encouraging all infant and child car seats to be identified with one of these labels.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, January 18 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room on the lower level of the hospital.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or who has a friend or loved one with diabetes. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411.