Health

Those eligible and interested have until December 7 to enroll in or change Medicare drug plans for 2024 and are advised to not wait until the last minute. Remember, those who are on Medicare and don’t have drug coverage, or if the coverage they have is not as good as Medicare’s, will face a penalty for each month they delay enrolling.

Those who have questions about Medicare drug coverage should call their local SHIIP counselor at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411. SHIIP volunteers are available to meet individually with anyone in the community who wishes to compare the Medicare Part D plans available for 2024.

Veterans Memorial Hospital has a new SHIIP volunteer, Jim Johnson. He has joined Nancy Schoh in providing this valuable free service to anyone needing assistance with their Medicare plan.

November is Lung Cancer Prevention Month. According to the American Association for Cancer Research, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women. It is estimated 127,070 patients will die of the disease this year in the United States.

Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Join the American Cancer Society’s Great America Smokeout this Thursday, November 16. The American Cancer Society has steps a smoker can take to help find quit smoking programs, resources and support that can increase the chances of quitting successfully. To learn about available tools from the National Cancer Society, call 800-227-2345.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s Christmas Fantasy 2023 will be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 10, 11, 12 and 13, at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion. The theme will be, “Wishing You a Merry Grinchmas.”

The 2023 Fantasy Schedule of Events for this weekend includes:

“Tingle ‘N Mingle” Happy Hour
The Friday evening “Tingle ‘N Mingle” happy hour will be held November 10, from 5-8 p.m. This annual Friday night happy hour event is a special opportunity to meet socially with friends and co-workers after work. Many new hot and hearty hors d’oeuvres will be added this year, plus desserts, candies, and spirits will be served among the trees.

Each ticket includes all of the food plus two drink tickets. Tickets can be purchased now in advance at the main entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital or at all local banks in Allamakee County. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

The number of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) in this area has dwindled over the years as licensed EMTs have retired. Allamakee and northern Clayton Counties are fortunate to have many emergency response services, but nearly all of them are in need of more EMTs on their service to share the call time, ensuring local emergency services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

NICC will be offering a face-to-face EMT Class in Waukon beginning in January. This class is not offered locally each year, so the fact it will be held in Waukon is a convenience for those wishing to take the course with little travel time. This is a 138-hour course which will conclude in May. Registration for the class must be completed prior to the orientation night January 8.

November 5-11 is observed as National Radiologic Technologist Week. The Veterans Memorial Hospital Radiology Department radiologic technologists are all cross-trained in a wide variety of x-ray services.  One of them is on-call, 24 hours a day.

The department offers Mammography, CT scanning, MRI, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, Echocardiograms and Bone Densitometry, as well as all basic x-ray services. The x-ray equipment provides detailed pictures of all bones, plus fluoroscopy for pictures of organs inside the body.

X-rays taken at Veterans Memorial Hospital are able to be read by a radiologist 24 hours a day, seven days a week through Teleradiology, for quick interpretation, which can be especially helpful in the case of emergencies.

Those eligible and interested have until December 7 to enroll in or change Medicare drug plans for 2024 and are advised to not wait until the last minute. Remember, those who are on Medicare and don’t have drug coverage, or if the coverage they have is not as good as Medicare’s, they will face a penalty for each month they delay enrolling.

Those who have questions about Medicare drug coverage should call their local SHIIP counselor at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411. SHIIP volunteers are available to meet individually with anyone in the community who wishes to compare the Medicare Part D plans available for 2024.

Appointments are required. Call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411 to schedule an appointment. Anyone meeting with a SHIIP counselor will need to bring their Medicare card, current Part D plan card and a list of their medications from their pharmacy. SHIIP is a free, confidential service of the State of Iowa.

 The COVID vaccine is being offered in conjunction with flu shots at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health. Flu shots are recommended for all those who have not yet received the vaccine, and they will be effective throughout the rest of the flu season.

According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, flu vaccines are proven to help prevent millions of illnesses and have been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor by 40-60%. COVID-19 vaccines help protect by creating an antibody response without having to experience potentially severe illness or post-COVID conditions.  Although it is still possible to get sick after being vaccinated, flu and COVID immunizations are proven to help prevent severe illness, which can be lifesaving.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s Christmas Fantasy 2023 will  be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 10, 11, 12 and 13 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The theme will be “Wishing You a Merry Grinchmas!”

Numerous decorated Christmas trees will be on display and this year’s event will again offer over 100 shopping opportunities on the silent auction.

The Friday evening “Tingle ‘N Mingle” will be held Friday, November 10 from 5-8 p.m. This event is a special opportunity to meet socially with friends and co-workers after work.  This year, much more hearty hors d’oeuvres, desserts, candies, breads and spirits will be served among the trees throughout the evening and will be catered by a variety of local businesses including Rhonda Stock, Tastefully Simple - Jan Baumler, Port Side in Harpers Ferry, Uptown Grill, Lid’s Restaurant and Fiesta Vallarta.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) administration staff continues to visit each Allamakee County community to offer a public forum to update the communities on hospital progress and offer a chance for public input.  

Last fall, residents of Allamakee County overwhelmingly voted to convert the hospital to a county facility. As the hospital was preparing for that county-wide vote, similar public forums were held. At those meetings, it was stated the hospital would do this every year in an effort to offer personal contact with the communities and offer an opportunity for feedback from the general public. These public forums last approximately one hour with a 45-minute presentation, then time for questions, feedback and input from those attending.

From the American Cancer Society and Veterans Memorial Hospital

Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed in women in America. This year, more than 250,000 women will learn for the first time that they have this disease and more than 40,000 women will lose their lives. However, when breast cancer is detected early and treated promptly, suffering and ultimately the loss of life can be significantly reduced.

Women are encouraged to ask their doctors and other health care providers about mammography screening. Mammography (an x-ray picture of the breast) is the single most effective method to detect breast changes that may be cancer, long before physical symptoms of the disease can be seen or felt. Early detection, followed by up-to-date treatment, can provide women with better chances for long-term freedom from the disease. But mammography screening must be done routinely.