Health

Over the next few weeks, Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) administration staff will be visiting 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 an opportunity for feedback.

Michael Coyle, Veterans Memorial Hospital CEO, will be leading these discussions and states, “I’m excited to get back out to the communities of Allamakee County to talk about VMH, our current services, and new services that will help our patients and their families stay close to home for their healthcare needs.”

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 138-hour course will conclude in May. Registration for the class must be completed prior to the orientation night of January 8.  

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, November 7, at 5 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. 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 usually meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, except when they meet this first Tuesday of November.
 

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions will be offering an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in Waukon beginning January 8, 2024. This 138-hour course, which will conclude in May, will be an in-person class held right here locally in Waukon, which is a huge advantage to students attending. Registration for the class must be completed prior to the orientation night January 8.

The EMT class prepares the students to provide pre-hospital assessment and care for patients of all ages with a variety of medical conditions and traumatic injuries. Areas of study include an introduction to emergency medical services systems, roles and responsibilities of EMTs, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and providing patient transportation.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be holding a Pillow Perk Monday, October 16, 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.

For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

by Renee Stokman, Mammographer, Veterans Memorial Hospital

I’ve heard about 3D mammograms… why are they better?
Veterans Memorial Hospital is proud to be offering, starting our seventh year, this wonderful new equipment to the members of our community. When you come in for your 3D mammogram, you really won’t notice much of a difference compared to the 2D (regular) mammogram. We still start with two images of each breast, and we still use compression to get adequate visualization of the breast.

When we take your images, we get an additional set of thin slices of your breast. The images we get are similar to a CT scan, where the doctor is able to scroll through your breast slice by slice. When we view the breast this way, we can detect smaller cancers earlier. There is also a lower chance that you will get called in for additional images due to overlapping dense breast tissue.

Flu Shots have begun at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health. Flu shots are recommended for those who have not yet received the vaccine, and they will be effective throughout the rest of the flu season.

VMH Community and Home Care will be offering flu shot clinics all Wednesdays in October. Walk-in clinics will be held from 9-11:30 a.m. and appointments can be made for immunizations Wednesday afternoons by calling 563-568-5660.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 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 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 at 563-568-3411.

submitted by the American Institute of Cancer Research and Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH)

Early detection can prove to be lifesaving when it comes to detecting and fighting breast cancer. There are four important actions that play a crucial part in finding breast cancer early on, which could significantly increase one’s chances of recovery should one be diagnosed with the disease.

1. Perform a monthly breast self-exam (BSE.) Because 65 to 70 percent of all breast cancers are found by women themselves, there’s no substitute for doing a BSE. Examine the breasts the week following a menstrual period for anyone age 20 and over. For women who are no longer menstruating, they should perform a BSE the first day of every month.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be holding a Pillow Perk Monday, October 16, 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.

All items can be dropped off at the hospital’s loading dock entrance, located on the east side of the hospital, along the golf course. All items will be completed and ready for pick-up the same day. For more information, call VMH at 563-568-3411.