Health

Veterans Memorial Hospital in cooperation with the American Heart Association is offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for lay people (those not working in healthcare), which includes child care providers, Wednesday, May 15 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. The card received with the course does certify attendants in CPR for two years.

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 Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, May 16. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if they are not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen. Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner. Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. All proceeds go towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending, but preferring to play Bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their own table of four players, however.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Ruth Hanson by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Susan Loken, Leah Welsh, Melissa Kelly, John and Beth Papp, Dr. Bill and Libby Withers,  John and Laurie Rethwisch, Brian and Denise Wullner, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Jane Dietrich, Jean Huffey, Ken and Rose Beardmore, Carol Krumme, Russ and Mary Jo Meyer, Bill and Beth Shafer, John Hausman, Orrin and Nan Grangaard, Sue Kratz, Rick and Cathy Larson, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Bill and Linda Halvorson, Lillian Larson, Charles and Kim Deering, Marlys Leiran, Elsa Hager, Sandra Williams, Ron and Loretta Roese, Hall and Denise Everman, Ray and Mary Ann Burke, Ernie and Donnalee Osland, Dave and Laurie Martin, Marian Smedsrud, Will and Mary Ament, Pat and Kathy McMillan and family and friends of Ruth Hanson.

The next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive will be held Thursday, May 2 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.

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.

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, May 14 at 5 p.m. in the Education Conference Room.

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 group meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

by Tami Gebel, OTR/L,
Veterans Memorial Hospital

“Living Life to its Fullest.” What an inspiring statement. This creed has been adopted by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in celebration of April being National Occupational Therapy month. Occupational therapists throughout the U.S. are celebrating the month dedicated to acknowledging the profession.

The annual “Family Wellness Fair” will be held Wednesday, May 8 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Free health testing, exhibits and healthy snacks will all be providing a complete evening of entertainment and education for families of all ages.

This is the 22nd annual event sponsored by Veterans Memorial Hospital and will include many attractions for all ages. Everyone in the area communities is welcome to attend this free event.

More details on the upcoming Family Wellness Fair will follow in a future edition of The Standard and be available on our website. For any additional information, contact Erin Berns, Public Relations Director at Veterans Memorial Hospital, at 563-568-3411.
 

“National Laboratory Professionals Week” is April 21-27. Lab professionals all over the country are promoting the theme, “Laboratory Professionals Get Results!” The Veterans Memorial Hospital Lab Techs directly handle samples from collection to reporting, giving them total confidence in the integrity of the samples they run since 70% of all medical decisions are based on lab testing. They enjoy the fact that in this small town hospital, they get to know the patients whose sample they are running, as well as be there to answer any questions. Additionally, working in a small hospital lab gives these Lab Techs experience in many specialties. Each one of them must be prepared to crossmatch and issue units of blood, spot possible Leukemias, identify a urinary tract infection, describe an infection-causing agent or call a chemistry result to the ER indicating a heart attack, just to name a few. Pictured above are VMH’s Lab Techs, which have a total of 160 years combined experience.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will again be offering a pain control presentation for the public April 24 and 25.   Dr. Dave Schwartz will again be hosting these informative pain control presentations which will both detail the two new pain control options he offers at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Both presentations will include the same information, but are being offered on two different days at different times to try to suit more schedules.

The Wednesday, April 24 presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital. The Thursday, April 25 presentation will begin at 10 a.m. and will also be held in the hospital’s Large Conference Room.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, May 2 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church located in south Waukon. Blood drives are held once a month in Waukon to allow for more donors to give. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon with its blood and blood products.

Blood centers across the United States see a decrease in blood donations during the busy summer months.  During the summer, people become more active, have busier schedules, spend more time outdoors and take vacations. While donations decline, hospitals see an increase in the need for blood. 

More driving can mean more automobile accidents. A person who has suffered severe injuries from an automobile accident can need up to 50 units of blood.