Health

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, September 21. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if 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. The cost is $3.00 per person with all proceeds going 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.

Anyone can make a difference by making a life-saving blood donation at the next Waukon Community Blood Drive. Blood donations are desperately needed right now with the recent devastation in Texas. The next blood drive will take place Thursday, September 7, from Noon to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.

Below are a few tips for ensuring a successful donation:

· Get a good night’s sleep before your blood donation.
· Eat a good meal before donating blood. Do not donate on an empty stomach.
· Drink plenty of fluids.
· Bring a photo ID or Blood Donor ID Card to your appointment.
· If you are 16 or 17 years old and you’ve never donated blood with LifeServe Blood Center, be sure to get a signed Parental/Guardian Permission Form.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to donate blood at the next Waukon blood drive scheduled for Thursday, September 7, from Noon to 5 p.m., call 800-287-4903.
 

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, September 13 at 2 p.m.

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 Wednesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.
 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Norbert “Bud” Duffy by Marv and Marge Strike, Jim and Linda Ryan, Dave and Rita Newton, Dale and Ann Rademaker, Dan and Traci Byrnes, Wayne and Nona Sawyer, Marcella Hansmeier, Carol Krumme, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Dennis and Sandy Deal, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Joan Bieber, Paul and Wendy Ebner, Gary and Joan David, Dave and Laurie Martin, Jeff and Joan David, Brad and Erin Berns and the family of Norbert Duffy.

Memorials were also received in memory of Richard Hanson by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Betty Troendle, Carol Moe, Tim and Vicky Phipps, Sheila Snitker, Chuck and Maxine Bloxham, Neil and Darlene Barth, Mavis Berns, Brian and Denise Wullner, Lillian Larson, Wayne and Kim Klocke, Bob and Linda Thompson, Brad and Erin Berns and the family and friends of Richard Hanson.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, September 21, 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 has a friend or loved one with diabetes. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call Teresa Myers, RN, C.D.E., Diabetes Educator, or Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Over 110 people participated in the “Get Your Walk On In Waukon” annual family fun walk and 5K Saturday, August 19, in conjunction with the Waukon Corn Days celebration. The event was sponsored in part by the Healthiest State Initiative who strongly encourages everyone to walk at least 30 minutes per day. That is the reason the hospital offered a 1.5 mile walk and the optional 5K this year as well.  Many participants took advantage of both of the routes.

Jeremy Peake of Waukon was the first to cross the finish line. Trisha Wilkins of Waukon was the first female to cross the finish line. All those participating in Saturday’s event received complimentary hospital tote bags and screen cleaners as well as information on the Walk NE IA area program and community walking routes.  Free diabetes/blood sugar tests, hemoglobin tests and massages were also offered to all participants.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon purchased the former dental clinic building in Monona last spring. Now, the new Veterans Memorial Hospital Monona Clinic is set to open the middle of September.

“We have been overwhelmed by the friendly welcome we have received from the entire Monona area since we announced our plans to open a medical clinic in town,” states Mike Myers, Veterans Memorial Hospital administrator. “Everyone who has assisted in the remodeling of the facility has bent over backwards to work us into their busy schedules, to be sure everything was done in time for our September opening and we are so grateful.”

The Monona Clinic will host four full exam rooms, allowing each provider to room patients in two rooms each. Dr. Andrea Venteicher, formerly of the Waukon Gundersen Clinic, will be the lead physician in this new Monona Clinic. One nurse practitioner will also be employed full-time at the clinic as well.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, September 7 from 12 p.m. to 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 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.

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, September 13 at 2 p.m.

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 Wednesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health-related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMTs, etc.) Monday, September 11, beginning at 5:30 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class 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 and all registrants should bring along their own pocket mask. The card received with the course does certify attendants in CPR for two years.

Pre-registration plus a minimum of three participants is required. For more information and to register for the “Health Care Provider” CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.