Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Half a million people die each year due to this disease. Many people develop symptoms of heart disease when they are in their 40s or 50s, interrupting a most productive time of life. Cardiac Rehabilitation is an important tool in the fight against heart disease. Rehabilitation involves monitored exercise, nutritional counseling, emotional support and education about lifestyle changes to reduce risks of heart problems.

Duwayne Rude of Lansing had his first heart attack September 14, 2018. He did the right thing and immediately called 911. The Lansing ambulance brought him to the emergency room at Veterans Memorial Hospital, where he was stabilized. He was then rushed by ambulance to La Crosse, WI where he was scheduled for open heart surgery the next day.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is offering flu shots every Wednesday afternoon during their regular immunization clinics. The next flu shot clinic will be held Wednesday, October 2, from 1-6 p.m. and again Wednesday, October 9, from 1-4 p.m.  The Community and Home Care Immunization Clinic is located on the upper level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Immunization clinics are held from 1-6 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month, and from 1-4 p.m. all other Wednesdays. Flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccines and tetanus vaccines will be available.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding their annual Pillow Perk Monday, October 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lower Level of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Kraft Pillow Service will be on site to make old pillows look like new.

Everyone is encouraged to bring in their feather pillows to the Pillow Perk to be cleaned, sanitized and given new ticking. Foam and Dacron pillows may also be renovated by this process. People are also encouraged to bring in their feather beds and have them made into new pillows.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, October 7, and those classes will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.

The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in three sessions that allow the expectant parents to choose which topics they wish to learn more on. They may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions.  Session 1 covers labor, delivery and the postpartum period following delivery; Session 2 includes relaxation, breathing and pain management; and Session 3 covers infant care. Tours of the OB Department are available with each session as well.

How many know that one in seven people entering the hospital will need blood?

Attend the next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive to be held Monday, October 7, from 12-5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held once per month. 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.

Over half of the United States population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than four percent donate on a regular basis. A single donation of blood can be used to save up to three lives and help in treatment of cancer patients, accident victims, hemophiliacs and surgery patients.  The LifeServe Blood Center is committed to serving the needs of Iowans by saving lives through volunteer blood donation.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Marcie Quillin by Gladwin and Darlene Anderson, Tom and Karen Regan, John and Lorna Kerndt, Mary Beth Regan, Chuck and Lois Votsmier and Maury and Kay Mooney.

Memorials were also received in memory of Mike Schulte by Jane Dietrich, Laura Duvel, Carol Krumme, Nancy Schoh, Gordy and Darlene Kaeser and Mary Ann Hager.

In addition, memorials were received in memory of Marianne Mahr by Mary Fink, in memory of Ernie Larson by George Pickett, in memory of Doris Westerholm by Wayne and Lil Schmieden, in memory of Doris Schnur by George Pickett, and in memory of Mel Ruehmann by Jane Dietrich, George Pickett and Kay Zimmerman.

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors. Due to popular demand, this program will again be held Monday, September 23 from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“We’re excited to be offering another free seminar to the community and happy they are so well attended,” says Russ Hagen, SHIIP volunteer. “Medicare is such an important program and understanding what it offers helps assure that anyone eligible gets the health benefits they deserve.”

“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.

Morgan Smerud, OD, has returned to her hometown and has joined the Gundersen Eye Clinic in Waukon.

Dr. Smerud provides routine eye exams for glasses and contacts as well as medical management of a variety of eye conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and dry eye care. She also works with the ophthalmologists to provide pre- and post-operative care to patients.

After growing up in Waukon, Dr. Smerud received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI before traveling south to earn her Doctor of Optometry from Rosenburg School of Optometry, University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX.

Veterans Memorial Hospital, in cooperation with the American Heart Association, is offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for lay people (those not working in healthcare), which includes child care providers, Wednesday, September 18 from 5-8 p.m.

The CPR class, which will cover adult, child and infant CPR, will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital. The cost of the class, for certification or recertification, is the same. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them in Heartsaver CPR AED for a two-year time period. This class does not include a first aid certification.

CPR is administered when someone’s breathing, pulse, or both, stop. When both of them stop, the victim has suffered sudden death, which can be caused by poisoning, drowning, choking, suffocation, electrocution, smoke inhalation, or the most common cause, heart attack.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, September 19 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital.

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